How close did the Blue Jackets come to going through an arbitration hearing for the first time in franchise history with goalie Jet Greaves?
Well, put it this way: They needed overtime to cross the finish line on a three-year deal worth $15 million to prevent a hearing that was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. July 23 in Toronto and ultimately wasn’t necessary.
Both sides were prepared for it, though, which Greaves described to reporters in a July 28 teleconference.
“I was in Toronto,” he said. “I was ready to go. I mean, we were there.”
Greaves, who is from the Toronto suburb of Cambridge, showed up for the hearing along with his agent, Pat Brisson, and others from Brisson’s firm. The Blue Jackets were represented by president/general manager Don Waddell, hockey operations vice president Laurence Gilman and hockey operations senior manager Zach Abdou, who specializes in salary-cap management.
Prior to the hearing, each side sent briefs detailing salary requests for what would have been a one-year deal if a hearing had settled the negotiation. Blue Jackets asked for $2.8 million, while Greaves wanted $7.5 million to create a wide gap.
An arbiter could have set Greaves’ salary at any number that equaled or surpassed 85% of the $825,000 he earned last season, but a looming deadline, face-to-face meetings plus a mutual desire to avoid a hearing bridged the difference.
That plus the lack of contention on either side left each party happy with the new contract. Greaves, 25, got paid handsomely after a breakout performance in his first full NHL season while the Blue Jackets got cost certainty in net for the next three years.
“We were having conversations,” Greaves said. “I was prepared to attend the hearing if that was the case, but I was super happy to be able to get it done and do a longer deal I was excited about as well, so I’m happy with how things worked out.
“At the end of the day, negotiations go how they go … but for me, something that never changed throughout the process with myself, with [Brisson], with the agents in our group, is we have a ton of respect for Don and for Lawrence. They did a great job, and they were … everything was respectful. Everything was amicable throughout the negotiations. So, I think that was positive. Our relationship is just as good, if not better, now than it was before.”
That hasn’t always been the case for the Blue Jackets and past players in similar situations.
“I think that’s something that I’m excited about and grateful for,” Greaves said. “To be in an organization where we have so much respect for the management is something I really cherish.”
Now, for Greaves and the Blue Jackets it’s time to focus on the season ahead. Greaves will continue his offseason training in Waterloo, Ontario, while the Jackets focus on trying re-sign top center Adam Fantilli. Once that’s sorted out, the focus as a team will be the Jackets’ collective goal to get over the final hump that’s kept them out of the playoffs the past two years.
“I’m grateful for the organization for believing in me with this sort of opportunity, and just hopefully being in the same place for a few years is something I’m excited about … building with this group,” Greaves said. “That’s where my focus is now. I’m just super excited to be with this group, talking with the guys. I think we’re all on the same page with what we’re hoping to accomplish this year, and we’re excited about that opportunity.”
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jet Greaves happy to avoid arbitration with Columbus Blue Jackets: ‘I was ready to go’
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
