Metropolitan Notes: Greaves, Fisher, Vladar

Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves will play for Canada at the Worlds next month, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).  This was the 25-year-old’s first full NHL season and it was a good one as he posted a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV% in 55 games.  That showed that his hot finish to last season wasn’t just a one-off and he’s now in place as their starter of the future.  Notably, Greaves is a pending restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights and is poised for a significant raise on his current $812.5K price tag.  That makes it a little surprising that Greaves will play for Canada in the tournament as pending free agents usually take a pass to avoid the risk of an injury sustained there affecting contract negotiations.  Instead, he’ll make a strong case to be the starter regardless of whichever other two goalies participate, something that Dreger added is still being worked out.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Blue Jackets, prospect James Fisher has changed schools. Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald relays that the forward has transferred from Northeastern to St. Lawrence University for next season.  The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Columbus back in 2022 and has not progressed particularly well thus far.  After two post-draft seasons at junior levels, he spent two years with the Huskies, managing just five points in 60 games over that stretch.  He’ll be hoping that a change of scenery can land him a bigger role and a chance to get back on the radar for a contract down the road.
  • After a bit of an injury scare in Game 3 of their opening round series against Pittsburgh, it appears Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar is good to go as the team announced (Twitter link) that he’ll get the start tonight. Bryan Rust fell over him in the third period on Wednesday and didn’t practice the following day but it won’t cost him any time.  Vladar’s first foray into the playoffs as a starter has been successful so far as he has turned aside 70 of 74 shots to help Philadelphia take the first three games.