The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Jet Greaves to a three-year entry-level contract, and will recall him to serve as backup for this evening’s game. Greaves will be behind Jean-Francois Berube, who gets his first NHL start in several years as both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins deal with injury.
Greaves, 20, had been playing on a minor league contract, splitting the season between the Kalamazoo Wings and Cleveland Monsters. In the AHL, the undrafted goaltender put up a 4-6 record in 13 starts, posting an .898 save percentage. This is his first year of professional hockey after two years with the Barrie Colts, neither of which were all that exceptional. Suddenly he finds himself on the way to the NHL, with the Blue Jackets dealing with a depth issue at the position.
The only other goaltender that could have been recalled by the Blue Jackets is Cam Johnson, who is on a one-year, two-way deal himself. But Johnson has spent most of the year in the ECHL and actually played last night for Cleveland, allowing three goals on 18 shots. Given the lack of options, Greaves finds himself the beneficiary of a three-year deal that makes him an NHL goaltender, at least for the day.
The entry-level contract will keep him in the organization through 2023-24, not bad for a 6’0″ goaltender that has just 28 games of professional experience under his belt.
“This is his first year of professional hockey after two years with the Barrie Colts, eight of which were all that exceptional”
Umm… what? Did something get accidentally cut out there?
What is right. I’m not sure what happened there.