Feisty winger Ridly Greig nears a return, boosting the Senators' lineup. His potential availability on Sunday could shake up the lines in Dallas.
For the second straight game, it appears the Ottawa Senators are about to get another boost with another feisty winger returning from injury. After Brady Tkachuk’s return on Friday in the loss to St. Louis, Ridly Greig could be good to go in Dallas on Sunday evening. Greig has been out with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t played since the Senators’ 1–0 loss to Los Angeles on November 15.
“Yeah, Rids has joined us,” head coach Travis Green told the media in Dallas. “So that’s good. That’s a positive. (There’s a) possibility of him playing tomorrow. So it’s good to have him back.”
Greig has missed the past five games, and the timing of his injury was unfortunate as he appeared to be heating up. Prior to getting hurt, he had recorded four points in his previous four games. Before that stretch, it had taken him 14 games to collect his first four points of the season.
Now in his third full season with the Senators, Greig posted a 34-point campaign last year, so he’s not far off that pace again in 2025-26. The former first-round pick (28th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft) signed a four-year contract in January worth $3.2 million AAV, carrying him through the summer of 2029.
As with Tkachuk’s return — which bumped Stephen Halliday out of the lineup and back to Belleville — Greig’s return would likely mean Hayden Hodgson comes out, while other forwards are slotted back into roles they’re better suited for. Hodgson added some bite to the lineup, but it's better to have that bite coming from players who play a lot. Tkachuk and Greig are rarely fun to play against and tend to change the emotional temperature.
All that said, while Green says Greig may return on Sunday, the 23-year-old wasn't at Saturday's practice, so his status and which line he might be on are still uncertain.
The Senators face the Stars on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. on TSN5, TVA Sports, and on radio at TSN 1200 AM.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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