Bold prediction #2: Jet Greaves finishes top-10 in the NHL in save percentage, earning him Vezina Trophy votes.
The Blue Jackets have long needed a breath of fresh air in goal, and this year they are getting it in the form of prospect Jet Greaves, who makes the jump to the NHL full-time.
Both Mike Stump and Matthew Duffey predicted a massive breakout here. I'm a little more skeptical, but I don't think it's entirely out of reach if last year's finish is any indication.
To finish near the top-10 in save percentage, Jet would have to average around .910%, while playing in the minimum required number of games/minutes to qualify. The last part of this equation, may be the first thing we should explore.
For starters, there is no guarantee that Greaves will be handed the starting goaltender position with the Blue Jackets this season. Like everyone else, I'm ready for it - but, I have to caution that even though he's looked darn good in his brief NHL stints to this point; he's still very unproven.
All together, he has 21 NHL games to his credit (20 starts, 1 relief appearance). These have been spread across parts of three seasons. In those games, he's totaled a 10-9-2 record with a .924% save percentage and a 2.62 goals against average. But again, these have not been in consistent stretches of play.
The longest, most impressive NHL stint of his career came at the end of last season, where he strung together 5 consecutive starts and was nothing short of magical for this team down the stretch.
Jet has worked hard and earned the opportunity to play in the NHL this season. But, he'll still have to compete with incumbent starter Elvis Merzlikins for the crease. And, perhaps even newcomer Ivan Fedotov.
Despite his breadth of AHL experience, the NHL is a different level. Every shooter shoots harder and is more accurate. Goalies are constantly having to adjust and change up their game so they aren't predictable.
Can Jet keep pace and do it over the course of an entire NHL season? We certainly hope so, because if he does; he's good enough to make this prediction come true. This would also mean the Blue Jackets would almost definitely be a playoff team (more on that on the next slide).
Fingers crossed for a big breakout season from Jet. If he can win the starting job and play at a top-10 pace, the next prediction is well within reach.