Jet Greaves’ new contract didn’t come to fruition until the morning of his arbitration hearing. That 11th-hour agreement meant avoiding something NHL players generally hate — the arbitration process.
It’s uncommon for players to go through it. Teams want to avoid it. Likewise, players want to avoid it. Arbitration, famously, involves team representatives saying things about their own players that they’d never say in public. That, of course, is because the goal of an arbitration hearing is to keep the cost down as much as possible by appealing the case to the arbitrator. It’s one of many potential potholes that can harm a player’s future impact.
Ultimately, Columbus and Jet Greaves agreed on a new three-year contract worth $5 million annually. He joins teammate Cole Sillinger as young Blue Jackets with new contracts. Now, he’s hoping that Adam Fantilli is the next domino to fall.
Greaves discussed that process on Thursday’s edition of “The Sheet” podcast with Jeff Marek.
“There was no strain on the relationship from either side,” Greaves said.
In the past, contract disputes that go deep into training camp can harm player productivity. Boston’s contentious battle with Jeremy Swayman in 2024 resulted in one of the worst seasons of Swayman’s career. Now, that won’t be a concern for Columbus with Jet Greaves’ new contract signed, sealed and delivered.
Strong Season Provides Columbus Reason to Make Jet Greaves’ New Contract a Reality
The Columbus Blue Jackets won 40 games in back-to-back seasons with a relatively young team, yet the playoffs eluded them. Accordingly, the organization has no interest in a step back.
In 2024-25, the Jackets finished strong. They won six straight to end the season, in part, because of Jet Greaves. He followed up on his strong finish to limited action in 2024-25 with a top season in 2025-26. Jet Greaves’ new contract is a result of his taking the net away from Elvis Merzlikins and running with it.
Greaves finished last season 26-19-9 with a save percentage of .908 and a Goals Against Average of 2.61. Greaves finished ninth among all goaltenders in MoneyPuck’s goals saved above expected metric.
Head coach Rick Bowness’s commitment to defensive structure will likely help keep Greaves fresh. Goaltenders under Bowness have excelled since his nearly two-decade head coaching hiatus ended in 2019. That could potentially lead to an even bigger payday the next time Jet Greaves needs a new contract
World Championships Learning Experience
Greaves spent part of his summer playing for Team Canada at the World Championships. He went 6-2-0 in eight games with a 1.88 GAA and .920 save percentage. Marek suggested Greaves could be the next great Canadian goalie, particularly noteworthy at a time when Canadian goaltending hasn’t been great.
“I’m honored to be even mentioned in that conversation,” Greaves told Marek. “I’ve said it before, but you grow up being a kid in Canada playing hockey, dreaming about playing in the NHL and playing for Team Canada one day.”
The Ontario native noted that he learned a lot from ‘everyone’ at the World Championships, though he did cite goaltenders like Cam Talbot and Jordan Binnington as influences.
Columbus fans should take note of that. Through hard work, Talbot has carved out serious longevity in his career, even if not always as a starter. Binnington, despite his ups and downs, is a Stanley Cup-winning netminder who has starred at the highest international and NHL stages. If he continues to grow, Columbus could have every reason to look at another Jet Greaves contract three years from now. The landscape, of course, could look very different at that point. The salary cap is set for $123 million when Greaves, then an unrestricted free agent, next becomes extension-eligible.
The Metropolitan Division seems very open after Carolina. Even if Washington has improved enough to get themselves back into the playoff ‘lock’ conversation, there’s still plenty of opportunity for Columbus.
Finding a goaltender is one of the most difficult things to do, and finding one who can play consistently seems harder. The Jackets, through Jet Greaves’ new contract, seem to believe he’s capable of doing the latter.
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