SvoNotes: Jet takes flight in his Blue Jackets debut

One day not too many years ago, Jet Greaves was at Scotiabank Arena when a weird feeling came over him.
The native of Cambridge, Ontario, was a young goalie who loved the sport of hockey, and in particular he was a fan of Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Greaves and his friends were attending a Maple Leafs game and a vision of a potential future popped into his mind.

"I came to a game here," Greaves said. "I remember Fred was playing and I was with my buddies. I remember watching warmups and I had this weird experience, (thinking), 'I would love to play here. I would love to be in the NHL. Maybe one day.'
"To be here now, it's really special."

That day came Tuesday, as Greaves made his NHL debut in the arena in which he grew up watching the Leafs. The 22-year-old netminder had been called up to serve as a backup goalie a few times the past two seasons, but with the Blue Jackets' season winding to a close, Columbus saw an opportunity to reward a player respected throughout the organization for both his diligence and skill on the ice and his dedication off of it.
Greaves was told Sunday evening after his game with AHL Cleveland that he was being called up, and while he explicitly wasn't told he would be starting Tuesday, there was a sense that this meeting was different.
From there, you would think it was a bit of a whirlwind, but that's the type of thinking Greaves tried to avoid. It certainly wasn't any other game, but his goal was to make it seem like one, lest the importance of the moment overwhelm him.
Even after he made 46 saves, a CBJ debut record and the fifth most in an NHL debut since 1955-56, in a 4-2 loss Tuesday to the Leafs, Greaves tried to keep everything that had happened over the previous 48 hours in perspective.

"You know what?" he said in the locker room. "Everything has happened fast, and I try to really just be disciplined mentally and keep myself where my feet are and not really get into it too much. But I'm sure there will be a time, whether it's today or after the season, when it hits, to really look back on it. But right now, it just feels like another game, but obviously a bit more special."
When he does have a chance to think back on everything that happened, including the chance to make his debut in front of a large contingent of friends and family including his parents Brenda and Gerry, Greaves will be able to smile about his performance.

While he didn't get the win in his NHL debut, he certainly looked the part and could hardly be blamed for any of the three of 49 shots that got past him. Greaves displayed a poised game, rarely getting outside of his comfort zone and delivering a performance that gave the Jackets a chance to win.
"He was outstanding tonight," head coach Brad Larsen said. "I thought he was very calm. I don't fault him on any of the goals at all. For your first game in the NHL, playing in this building, being from here, there's a lot going on in his head I'm sure before the game. They scored early and you get a little nervous for him, but he settled in. He looked really poised in net tonight. I'm so happy for him."
It was clear Greaves' teammates had a similar thought. After most losses, the team quickly files to the locker room, but on this night, the entire bench made its way toward Greaves' net to congratulate him on an impressive debut.
"It was cool," forward Eric Robinson said. "Everyone was acknowledging what a game he played and what a cool night it was for him. We wanted to go over there and give him some taps and some props and make sure he knows we appreciated the game he played.
"What a night -- 40-something saves in his hometown. That's something special. He was incredible. I'm sure he's really happy, and he should be really proud of himself."
Greaves admitted as much afterward, saying that while there are always moments of improvement, he was pretty pleased with the way he played. It helps that while he faced nearly 50 shots, the Blue Jackets generally kept them to the outside and didn't let Toronto tee off on him with odd-man rushes and open shots from the slot.
While Greaves did give up a goal in the early going on a one-timer from Zach Aston-Reese, he was able to settle into the game, including making his first NHL save on superstar Auston Matthews.
"I noticed that actually," he said afterward. "That was a really cool moment."
Time will tell where Greaves' career goes. He spent three seasons in the OHL before signing with Columbus last season, and he's posted a 3.06 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 67 games the past two years with Cleveland. He's not the biggest goalie, but he's technically sound and is learning every day, and it's not hard to imagine him as a consistent NHL player at some point.
In the meantime, he can now officially say he's an NHLer, with the experience of making his debut under his belt.
"It's kind of something where you've never really experienced that exactly, so you never really know what to expect," he said. "There were emotions and stuff before. Once you get out there in warmups, it's just another hockey game. So then you get settled in and compete and try to help the team win a game."

Sillinger Looks to Finish Strong

Larsen had an interesting observation recently when discussing one of the biggest storylines of the 2022-23 season.
The hope was that Cole Sillinger would build on his historic 16-goal season a year ago as a rookie. He was the youngest player in the NHL when he had that tremendous campaign, not to mention the only player from the 2021 draft to play in the league the entire season despite being taken with the 12th overall pick.
It's rare that any player sticks the entire season after his draft year, and even more rare that that player excels. The showing cemented Sillinger as a big piece of the CBJ future, but unfortunately, this season just didn't go as hoped.
Sillinger went through a 45-game stretch this season with no goals and just four assists, and in all he posted a 3-8-11 line in 64 games before he was sent to Cleveland on March 24 in what the Blue Jackets believe will be a mutually beneficial move.

The hope is twofold -- Sillinger can finish strong against AHL competition, and the Monsters can make the AHL playoffs and go on a long run like the 2016 team that won the Calder Cup. It's not a punishment as much as a chance to reset and build some confidence going into next season.
The good news is Sillinger, who had skipped the AHL prior to being sent down two weeks ago, sees it that way too.
"I had a great chat with him," Larsen said at the time the decision was made. "I let him speak a lot. He's a special kid. He handled it like a pro. He understands it was a tough year. He was trying to work himself out of a lot of things. It just didn't happen for him this year.
"The way I put it with Cole is he's mature beyond his years as far as a person, but his game needs to mature. Those are two different things. And that's OK. He understands. He could be in junior still right now as a 19-year-old."
It has been said many times that Sillinger is wise beyond his years, and his handling of the move is another data point in that argument.
Even before he left, Sillinger took a big-picture approach to his struggles.
"When you're 18, 19 playing in the NHL, the leagues before you've probably dominated and produced and scored goals and been the key guy in all situations," Sillinger said. "Then you come here at a young age and things are a little different, but yeah, it's something that personally I've never really went through. But it's something that every player goes through, and it's good to go through. It's a good learning experience. It's good adversity.
"I think this is how you really gain as a player and really come out of it and become stronger, more open-minded, more coachable, everything. You get a little humbled. I think that really does help."
It wasn't necessarily a huge shock that Sillinger struggled a bit this year, as young players tend to go up and down, and the term sophomore slump exists for a reason. But it certainly was a learning process for a player who, as he said, was used to a pretty charmed existence as a hockey player.
This year started out on the wrong foot, as Sillinger suffered an injury in his first practice of training camp and missed a big chunk of the preseason. He then appeared to score a goal in the team's opener at Carolina, but it was taken off the board because of an offside call, and things just never seemed to click from there.
"It's hard when you had a great year like he had (in 2021-22), especially the way he finished with the hat trick at home," Larsen said. "It was a fairytale start and ending, but we forget about all the ups and downs he had in that first year (because) he finished so strong. So that second year, it's not the sophomore jinx or whatever. It's different now. And it didn't get off to a good start -- he got hurt in camp -- and it just set him back. He never got his footing."
At the same time, Sillinger has a pretty strong support system to lean into, including his father, Mike, a longtime NHL veteran.
"You can't go out there and just wave a magic wand and say you're gonna do this and that," he said. "It all comes from the work you put in before that, and then you let your natural abilities take over during the game. I do feel like having a father that's played 1,000-plus games, all the resources that we have, the coaching staff and everyone in our whole management team have really come together and are trying to build on something."
One of Larsen's biggest pieces of advice for young players is to try to impact the game in a positive manner in any way you can, and that doesn't necessarily mean on the score sheet. Sure, it's good to score, but there are plenty of ways a player can help a team win.
Sillinger took that to heart as the season wore on, and it was pretty clear he was playing his best hockey coming down the stretch, including a goal that broke the scoreless streak March 17 at Anaheim.
"I still want to add to my game and become the player I know I can be," Sillinger said. "You know, being hard to play against and impacting the game, whether it's in the faceoff circle or D-zone, penalty kill, power play, whatever, just try to help the overall outcome of winning hockey games. I feel like it's been a roller coaster this year, but I learned a lot of things and feel like I'm a more mature player."
Sillinger has posted three assists in six games so far for the Monsters, and he's gotten the first chance in his hockey career to play with his older brother Owen, who has spent the season in Cleveland. The bus rides are a far cry from the plane rides and luxury of the NHL, but with the Monsters battling for their playoff lives, Sillinger has embraced the challenge of trying to make an impact down the stretch.
"Listening to him talk, I was thrilled to hear how he's accepted it and understood," Larsen said. "He knows he can be better. He wants to be better. But he's excited to go down there and try to help that team get into the playoffs and hopefully be a huge part of it. I'm real impressed with him."