Jet Greaves' contract situation with the Columbus Blue Jackets is heading towards the end. But there’s one NHL insider who does not expect it to reach the stage where an arbitrator gets involved. 

Greaves is a restricted free agent goaltender who had filed for salary arbitration ahead of the league's deadline, which is on July 5. His hearing has since been scheduled for July 23 in Toronto. Despite all that, the expectations around the league are that Columbus and Greaves will reach a new contract before that date even arrives.

"I don't think he wants to go to the [arbitration] hearing; I don't think it'll even get to that point; he wants to stay in Columbus," speaking on the PuckPedia Hockey Show on July 8, Jeff Marek talked about where things are headed with Greaves.

While filing for arbitration is a common step for a restricted free agent, he will still be working out a new deal with their team. This sets a firm deadline and gives both sides leverage without necessarily hinting at any talks. 

Under the NHL rules, electing arbitration also makes a player ineligible to sign an offer sheet with another team. So this keeps the negotiation strictly between Greaves and Columbus.

Greaves was one of 15 players across the NHL to file this offseason. Along with him is Cole Sillinger, whose own hearing is scheduled for July 27, also in Toronto.

Other players who filed along with Greaves are Ottawa's Xavier Bourgault and Buffalo's Peyton Krebs, among others. They have already reached new deals with their teams in the last few days since the filing deadline has passed.

The Blue Jackets have already hinted that they would request a one-year contract term. This gives the team another opportunity to negotiate with Greaves next summer rather than committing to a longer deal.

Meanwhile, Greaves entered this contract decision right after the best season of his career.

Greaves’ performance in his breakout Season

It’s his first full year as Columbus' starting goaltender. He holds a record of 26-19-9 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage across 55 games. And these numbers are enough to put him on the NHL's top ten goaltenders easily.

He also made two shutouts and became the fifth goaltender in the team’s history to reach 25 wins in a season. That performance itself earned Greaves a spot with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship this summer. This was where he went 6-2-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage over eight games.

Throughout his NHL career, the 25-year-old has posted a 36-28-11 record with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Greaves signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent and made his NHL debut in 2023, setting a franchise record for saves in his first game. 

He is now on his two-year contract worth $1.625 million, according to Spotrac, signed in 2024. This is his first shot at a deal that reflects his label as Columbus' clear No. 1 goaltender.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar