‘Next man up’ is a mantra that the Ottawa Senators have adopted and preached throughout the course of the 2025-26 season and for good reason. Hockey is a sport where there is no time or room to feel sorry for yourself when injuries befall key players, and teams are forced to pivot and fill that roster spot in short order. The Senators are no different from any other organization, but they have been afflicted by lengthy player absences, including their captain, Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Shane Pinto, and now goaltender Linus Ullmark. Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Leevi Merilainen going down to the minors to try and get his game back. It is a problem compounded by a condensed schedule borne out of it being an Olympic year. Thanks to a higher frequency of games over shorter periods of time, the only solution for the Senators was to rely on internal stopgaps and hope they could stem the tide until their stars could return. When Pinto was injured during the Senators’ December 4th game versus the New York Rangers, it created a massive hole in the middle of their lineup. His line with Michael Amadio and Claude Giroux was one of the league’s best. When this trio was on the ice through the Senators’ first 27 games at five-on-five per Natural Stat Trick [https://www.naturalstattrick.com/], the team generated 58.64 percent of the shots (CF%), 62.99 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 66.67 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 66.27 percent of the expected goals (xGF%). Not only were they tilting the ice in their team’s favour through possession and offensive zone time, but they also outscored the opposition when they were being tasked with shutting down the other team’s most skilled players. Pinto himself was on pace to have a career year. At the time of his injury, Pinto’s 12 goals led the Senators and put him on pace for 36 goals. Between that production and his strong defensive ability and faceoff prowess, it left a big hole to fill. Next man up. Perhaps no player benefited more from this opportunity than Ridly Greig. Leading up to Pinto’s injury, Greig was having a nondescript season. After producing 13 goals and 34 points in his third professional season with Ottawa, from a production standpoint, Greig’s performance left something to be desired. As an expected source of secondary scoring, his two goals and eight points through the Senators’ first 22 games were disappointing. Greig tried not to let those early-season offensive struggles affect his play, even if he admitted that he can be his own worst critic. “I feel like I'm always a little bit too hard on myself, but I know there's some more there on the offensive side of things,” Greig told The Hockey News at the time of Pinto’s injury. “I can hold onto the puck a little bit more, and I can create more plays doing that. I think my second half last year was good. So I gotta try to find that side of my game again.” “I try to play the same way every night, whether there is pressure to score or not. (The goals) all even out in the end, but I take pride in playing safe. It means a lot for me not to cheat the game.” Having bounced up and down the lineup for the better part of his first 22 games, it was Greig’s defensive reliability and versatility that made him an easy choice to fill Pinto’s role. When asked whether he preferred playing centre or wing, Greig emphasized that it did not matter. “No, (Travis Green) has that luxury to put me wherever he wants,” he explained. “It’s probably a good problem to have, but I’m used to playing wherever he wants me to play, whether it's right wing, center or left. Whatever he needs, I'm willing to do whatever it is.” Since Pinto’s injury on December 4th, Greig has taken his game to another level. In the 22 games since that time, nobody on the Senators has more five-on-five points than Greig’s 13, and only David Perron (6) has scored more goals than Ridly (5). What has made Greig so effective? “He’s great on the walls,” explained Michael Amadio. “He's great at making his little plays. He's great at getting in on the forecheck and finishing his checks. He does everything well.” Claude Giroux echoed Amadio’s comments while offering up another suggestion. “What makes him valuable is just how competitive he is,” the veteran offered. “He's a guy that wins battles, and he’ll do whatever needs to be done to win.” Pinto would eventually return to the lineup on December 29th against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Greig’s improved production and play have earned him a spot in the Senators’ top-six alongside Dylan Cozens and captain Brady Tkachuk. The trio have played 33 minutes together at five-on-five with the Senators generating 69.51 percent of the shots (CF%), 67.66 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 100.00 percent of the total goals (3-0, GF%) and 77.01 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) per Evolving-Hockey [http://Evolving-Hockey]. Their line has been exceptional, which has helped bolster the argument that Ridly Greig can play up the Senators’ lineup. For a player who has played 44 games, what is interesting about Greig’s season is that qualitatively, he looks like a more productive and engaged version of himself. He’s scoring goals, he’s making beautiful touch passes to set up offensive opportunities, and it seems like he’s getting under the skin of the opposition much more frequently. The incredible part about the timing of Pinto’s injury is that it split Greig’s season into two parts, and they are both 22 games long. Natural Stat Trick’s data breaks down Greig’s contributions at five-on-five by date. * First 22 games: 0.22 goals/60, 1.10 points/60, 6.61 shots on goal/60, 0.94 individual expected goals/60, 12.34 shots/60, 1.76 penalties drawn/60, 5.29 hits/60 * Last 22 games: 1.05 goals/60, 2.73 points/60, 6.51 shots on goal/60, 0.72 individual expected goals/60, 10.93 shots/60, 1.68 penalties drawn/60, 5.25 hits/60 Aside from production rates, nothing has really changed significantly. So what can Ridly Greig thank for the change? His individual on-ice shooting percentage was 3.33 percent in his first 22 games and 16.13 percent in his last 22 games. I believe it is totally unfair to attribute this change solely to luck. Even though he has not experienced changes to key stats like penalties drawn and hits, Greig looks like a much more engaged player out there. He also has an underrated passing ability. When asked about the differences in his game to Pinto’s at the time of the latter’s injury, Greig played up Pinto’s offensive ability. “Obviously, (Pinto) is a righty and I'm a lefty,” Greig explained. “There are different areas of our game that maybe one's better at. Pinto's offensive side of the game is probably a little bit better than mine, but I have to use my speed to generate chances and momentum.” When asked whether he’s downplaying his playmaking ability, Greig laughed. “Yeah, I definitely would like to try to find that side of my game again,” he stated. Call it a tough start or whatever you want, but I just want to build off my last few games.” The proof is in the numbers. Greig’s total assist rate has doubled from 0.88 to 1.68 assists per 60. His puck touches have been much more effective over the past month, and the qualitative and quantitative evidence support that. If he can continue to play down the stretch, his secondary scoring and agitating ways will go a long way toward helping the Senators win games. Graeme Nichols The Hockey News Ottawa
