Player evaluation: Greene

MATT GREENE
This season: 71 games, 2 goals, 9 assists, 70 penalty minutes, 16:59 average ice time.
The good: As long as his ice time is properly managed, Greene is consistent and usually effective. He recognizes his role, stays within it and seems comfortable with it. The most active voice in the locker room, Greene rallies teammates and isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself, which makes him a good teammate and leader. When effective on the ice, Greene uses his size — 6-foot-3, 231 pounds — to muscle opponents in the defensive end — particularly on the penalty kill — and can occasionally surprise with a slap shot from the point.
The bad: This isn’t necessarily his fault, but Greene gets exposed when injuries — or other circumstances — cause him to be elevated to a higher pairing and play more minutes. Greene isn’t the best skater and can get exposed at times by faster, skilled forwards. Greene needs to be careful toeing the line with physical play. His attempts to hit and hold up opponents at the blue line are often effective but can occasionally lead to ill-timed interference penalties.
Going forward: Assuming he stays healthy, there should be no mystery about Greene heading into next season. Greene has been consistent for three seasons. He’s good for a couple goals, a ton of hits and blocked shots, some outstanding penalty-kill time and some good quips in the locker room. It’s easy to see Greene maintaining his third-pair partnership with Alec Martinez, one that seemed to suit both players fairly well.