In what are likely two expected moves, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves and forward Cole Sillinger have filed for salary arbitration as Restricted Free Agents as the NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement allows.
What does that mean for both players? Let’s take a look.
Right off the bat, with all of the noise surrounding Restricted Free Agents Offer Sheets after the Philadelphia Flyers tendered a 5 year, $18 million Average Annual Value contract to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson this weekend.
Both Columbus Blue Jackets filing for arbitration means both are now ineligible to be offer sheeted by any other NHL hockey club. Barring any unforeseen trades, both men will be Columbus Blue Jackets in 2026-27.
The question is now: how long, and for how much?
Because both players filed for salary arbitration instead of the Blue Jackets hockey club themselves, the team’s front office could ultimately ask the arbitration hearing for single year contracts for both players, which would retain the rights for both Greaves and Sillinger as RFAs into the 2027 summer offseason.
However, until the arbitration hearings are ultimately decided (if they are), this ensures that only the Blue Jackets can negotiate with both players, and gives both player and club the option of extending long term in lieu of one-or-two year contracts that would be awarded through the arbitration hearing.
AFP Analytics projects that Jet Greaves would earn around a 4-year, $6 million AAV contract in the long term, or a $4.3 million, 1-year contract in the short term. They then project Cole Sillinger will earn a a 3-year, $5.1 million AAV in the long term option, or a $4.1 million, 1-year option in the short term. AFP Analytics nearly matched the Average Annual Value of Blue Jacket Charlie Coyle’s $6 million extension, and are heavily referenced in the industry for contract extension expectations.
NHL salary arbitration hearings are generally held between July 20th and August 1st, giving the club and players around two-to-three weeks to continue contract negotiations before the hearing(s) are ultimately scheduled.
Jackets fans may be wondering, what about the Blue Jacket’s other major restricted free agent, Adam Fantilli? Fantilli is not yet eligible for arbitration rights, and could still be offer sheeted at any time if not signed to an extension as quickly as possible. AFP Analytics projects an 8-year, $11.3 million extension in the long term, or a 2-year, $6.3 million extension option in the short term for the Blue Jacket’s star centerman.
Even though we are hitting the “cottage season” portion of the National Hockey League schedule, there is still plenty of news upcoming for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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