Less than a week into Blue Jackets training camp, Jet Greaves is already putting a muzzle on concerns about carrying the weight of increased expectations with a new $5 million salary.
Rather than melting und, the Blue Jackets' top goalie seems even calmer than he was before boosting his salary through a tough negotiating process that nearly led to Greaves becoming the first player in franchise history to need an arbitration hearing. Instead, a last minute request to delay the hearing's start led to a deal that will pay him a total of $15 million.
That's an increase of about $4.2 million per season, but Greaves is handling his new status in stride. He's been sharp to
start training camp, including practice drills, a scrimmage and the first two periods of the Blue Jackets' 1-0 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sept. 21at Nationwide Arena to open their four game preseason schedule.
"Of course, some things are different," Greaves said. "I'm fortunate to have a little more experience now, which I think is helping me in how I approach each day, but there's a lot of the same [stuff as before]. Every day I come to the rink, it's about improving, learning and enjoying being at the rink, and I feel like that's been a lot of the same. So, I've really been enjoying it."
That's certainly how it looked against the Red Wings, who failed to beat Greaves on 16 shots in the first two periods and dominated the first by outshooting the Blue Jackets 11-3. Greaves (6-0, 188) stood tall despite being undersized for a goalie.
"You never know what the situation is going to be," Greaves said. "Sometimes you're busy at the start of the game and then it's a little slower later on, or sometimes [it's] vice versa ... but I think in the first game of the preseason, it's maybe nice to see some pucks and get into the game early. Either way, I just enjoy being out there. It's awesome to be back out there with the guys and everything."
Thanks to the NHL's new 84-game schedule and a corresponding reduction in preseason games, Greaves will only get to do that once more time before games start to count. His next start will be Sept. 26 in Detroit, when the Blue Jackets conclude the preseason with a rematch against the Red Wings.
That's not a lot of preparation time for goalies, but Greaves has a level head about that too.
"It's going to be urgent for us to get to our game right away, once the season starts, and the best way to do that is get to it right now," he said. "Whatever the situation is, it's my job to be ready."
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jet Greaves remains calm, cool and collected for Columbus Blue Jackets
