The Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agent Jet Greaves appear set to enter their 9a.m. ET arbitration hearing, allowing a neutral party to decide the goaltender’s new salary on a one-year term.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported Wednesday the two sides were continuing to negotiate with the hope of avoiding the hearing, but as of Thursday morning still no contract had been announced.
General manager Don Waddell confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday that the Blue Jackets filed for a $2.8 million salary, while Greaves countered at $7.5 million. Columbus selected the one-year term available to the arbitrator, who is tasked with finding the correct salary within the $4.7 million gap.
Once the two sides begin their hearing on Thursday, no further contract talks can take place and a ruling on a contract will be made within 48 hours.
Every player that filed for arbitration in 2025 reached a contract with their club, while the Nashville Predators are the most recent to go through the process, seeing defenceman Spencer Stastney receive a two-year, $1.65 million deal in 2024.
Goaltenders Jeremey Swayman of the Boston Bruins and Ilya Samsonov, then of the Toronto Maple Leafs, were both awarded contracts through arbitration in 2023.
PuckPedia first reported the arbitration hearing dates earlier this month, with Greaves receiving the fourth-earliest hearing. Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers and Cole Perfetti of the Winnipeg Jets, though, all signed new deals before the 48-hour deadline to submit contract asks to the arbitrator.
Greaves established himself as an NHL goaltender late in the 2024-25 season, going 7-2-2 with a .938 save percentage and a 1.91 goals-against average.
The 25-year-old netminder built on that run in his first season as a full-time NHLer this past year, going 26-19-9 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA.
Undrafted to begin his career, Greaves made his debut with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23 and has a career record of 36-28-11 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA.
Cole Sillinger of the Blue Jackets remains scheduled for a July 27 hearing, while Ronan Seeley of the Carolina Hurricanes, Alex Jefferies of the New York Islanders and newly acquired Florida Panthers goaltender Akira Schmid also have hearings still scheduled later this summer.
