The Greaves Question Has No Safety Net Underneath It

Three pieces in three days on the same net, and the situation hasn't changed — it's just gotten more familiar in an uncomfortable way. Jet Greaves is the starter. Elvis Merzlikins is post-surgery with no timeline. Michael Hutchinson retired in July. That's the depth chart, in full.

What's worth sitting with now, as camp approaches, is what happens if Greaves struggles early. Columbus built its offseason around fixing the forward depth that collapsed in April — Nichushkin, Tuch, the Sillinger extension — and the coaching staff got a real addition in Don Granato. The front office did its work. The goaltending piece was supposed to be a Greaves-Merzlikins split that let the younger man grow into the role. That plan is gone. Greaves is getting the whole thing, immediately, with no experienced option behind him if the first month goes sideways.

That's not a knock on Greaves. A three-year, $15 million commitment tells you what management thinks of him. But there's a difference between a goaltender developing with a veteran safety valve and one absorbing every bad stretch alone. Last season Columbus allowed 3.4 goals per game over its final 10 games — the defense and the net both came apart at once. The margin for error this year is thin enough without removing the cushion entirely.

My read: this is the one offseason thread that didn't get resolved, and it's a significant one. Everything else Columbus did this summer made sense. This part just got harder.