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With two days to go before the Columbus Blue Jackets and goaltender Jet Greaves head to arbitration, the two sides exchanged figures on Tuesday.
The Blue Jackets, who have requested a one-year contract ruling from the arbitrator, have filed for a $2.8 million salary for Greaves.
The player, through his agent Pat Brisson, has requested $7.5 million.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Toronto.
Advertisement The figures, first reported by Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman, were confirmed to The Athletic by Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell.
Thats a sizeable gap $4.7 million between the clubs request and the players, but it requires some explanation.
The arbitrator is tasked with finding the appropriate middle-ground salary, not picking either the clubs ask or the players.
Each side leans toward an extreme version of what they believe is appropriate, as a way to draw the arbitrators midrange finding either lower (club) or higher (player).
Greaves was the Blue Jackets No.
1 goaltender this season, playing in 55 games including 53 starts and going 26-19-9 with a .908 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average.
The Blue Jackets and Greaves can still avoid arbitration by agreeing to a contract between now and Thursdays hearing.
However, once each side makes its pitch, and the case is in the arbitrators hands, there are no more negotiations.
Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger might be the next Columbus player to reach the arbitration table.
His hearing is set for Monday in Toronto.
Since joining the NHL as an expansion franchise in 2000, the Blue Jackets have never had a player go through the arbitration process.