After joining the Blue Jackets for the team's prospects camp in 2021, Greaves signed his first NHL deal with Columbus during the 2021-22 season, bouncing between the team's AHL affiliate in Cleveland and Kalamazoo of the ECHL. Splitting time between the leagues forced Greaves to adapt to new teams, new goaltending partners and new paces of play. That never hindered his ultimate goal, however, with Greaves maintaining his focus on reaching the NHL.
Four years of development passed in Cleveland, where he became the franchise's all-time leader in wins. A few call ups here and there gave Greaves the taste of NHL life, but his primary residence stayed with the Monsters.
Instead of thinking about what he could have, Greaves opted to enjoy the moments. The training with teammates and appreciation for what it took to earn his Cleveland jersey all prepared him for when his big moment came, and he took it and ran with it at the end of the 2025 season when he started and won the last five games of the campaign.
“The big stuff like playing the first NHL game, first NHL win, first professional game, first professional win — these types of things have been very special to me,” Greaves said. “But it's really just been the day-to-day that’s been so fun for me. Coming to the rink every day and spending time with the guys, working, improving as a group, improving individually. That's my favorite part of it, and it will continue to be.”
Last season, Greaves solidified his place as a full-time NHL goaltender, sharing the crease with fellow netminder Elvis Merzļikins. He concluded the season anchoring the Blue Jackets in 55 contests, nearly two-thirds of the entire schedule, going 26-19-9 and placing 11th in save percentage (.908) and 12th in GAA (2.60) among NHL goalies who started at least 30 games.
Greaves reached RFA status at the end of the season, and the contract comes following a series of negotiations that even led up to the arbitration hearing scheduled for last Thursday. The two parties, however, shared a common interest: keeping Greaves in Ohio.
The contract situation is now in the rearview mirror, and Greaves and the Blue Jackets are planning the future. After coming close to postseason play each of the last two years, Columbus retained head coach Rick Bowness and looks to get over the hump this upcoming season.
“I think there have been a lot of positive lessons that we feel excited about putting into practice this year,” Greaves said. “We're excited that Bones is back. We've got a lot of guys back, obviously. We lost some guys from our core there, which we're going to miss a lot. But we also made some great additions, which we're excited about. So I think it's a positive time for our group.”
The Blue Jackets will once again make a strong push for postseason hockey in Columbus, something the city’s lacked for six years, and Greaves hopes to help carry the team across that finish line.
“We have amazing fans (in Columbus) that really support our team, and we're hoping to grow and keep putting better products on the ice for our fans,” Greaves said. “I feel excited about where our organization is, where our team is, where we're growing, what we've learned the past few years. It's an exciting time to be a Blue Jacket, and I wouldn't want to be playing anywhere else.”
Greaves sees this contract as just another step of many along the way, and certainly not the last. His young career has much ahead, so for now, he’s taking in the good moments in all areas of the game — his friendships, ice time and ability to live out his childhood dream.
