Time is ticking for the Blue Jackets and Jet Greaves to find common ground before an arbitration hearing July 23 decides the goalie’s salary for the upcoming season.
Once the hearing starts, the two sides must abide by what the arbiter decides in a ruling that must be submitted within 48 hours after each side presents its case.
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Since Greaves filed for arbitration July 5, the Blue Jackets got to decide the length of a new contract and chose one year over the maximum two, which would have put Greaves, 25, straight into unrestricted free agency without compensation.
Briefs for the hearing were submitted July 21 and the sides are far apart on salary.
Greaves, who became the Blue Jackets’ top goalie last season in his first full NHL campaign, is asking for $7.5 million on a one-year deal while the Blue Jackets are offering $2.8 million.
More: Can Columbus Blue Jackets re-sign Adam Fantilli, avoid cap woes?
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Simon Nemec was traded to the Calgary Flames.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason McTavish was traded to the St. Louis Blues.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Mavrik Bourque was traded to the Nashville Predators.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Alex Tuch joined the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goalie Jacob Markstrom was traded to the Florida Panthers.
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Blake Coleman was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Keegan Kolesar was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward William Eklund was traded to the Ottawa Senators.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darren Raddysh joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was traded to the New York Rangers.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the New York Rangers.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Frederik Andersen signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Viktor Arvidsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason Marchment signed with the San Jose Sharks.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman John Carlson was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jack Roslovic signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jaden Schwartz signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
(Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Ian Cole signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
Should the two sides not meet somewhere between those numbers prior to the hearing, an arbiter will decide Greaves’ salary for next season.
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The arbiter can set the salary at any number that’s at least equal to 85% of what Greaves made last season. Greaves made $825,000 in 2025-26, including a $25,000 signing bonus, so his minimum is $701,250.
He’ll almost certainly make much more than that number and what he made last season, but the biggest hurdle in signing Greaves to a new contract is his lack of NHL experience.
Last season, he put together an impressive breakout with a 26-19-9 record, 2.60 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and two shutouts in 55 appearances to rank him fourth in the NHL in save percentage, fifth in goals-against and 11th in wins among goalies who played at least 3,000 minutes.
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves (73) stops a shot during the third period of the NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena on March 29, 2026. The Blue Jackets lost 4-3 in a shootout.
That’s his only full season, though, despite playing for the Blue Jackets in each of the previous three years. Greaves is also undersized for the position at 6 feet and 188 pounds, so finding comparable goalies could be a challenge.
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That likely explains why there’s such a big divide between his salary submission and the team’s.
There’s still time to agree on an extension without going through a hearing, which the Blue Jackets have never done in 25 years, but Greaves’ situation should be resolved by July 25. The Blue Jackets could walk away from an arbitration ruling that exceeds a threshold of $4,538,958, which would make Greaves an unrestricted free agent, but that’s unlikely.
The Jackets are also trying to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger, who has an arbitration hearing set for July 27. Fantilli, a first-time RFA, is set for a huge pay raise going into his fourth season, while Sillinger is likely bound for a modest raise from his $2.25 million salary.
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jet Greaves seeks $7.5 million. Will the Columbus Blue Jackets blink?
