Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, gm Don Waddell on philosophy
Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell introduces new head coach Dean Evason during a press conference at Nationwide Arena.
The Columbus Blue Jackets traded goaltender Daniil Tarasov to the Florida Panthers for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.Tarasov served as Elvis Merzlikins’ backup during the 2024-25 season but struggled with inconsistent playing time.This trade potentially opens a roster spot for rookie goaltender Jet Greaves.The Blue Jackets currently hold the 14th and 20th overall picks in the first round of the upcoming draft.
A door for Blue Jackets rookie Jet Greaves to land a full-time roster spot in 2025-26 as one of their top two goalies appears to have opened.
The Blue Jackets have traded backup goalie Daniil Tarasov to the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft, which will be held June 27-28 in Los Angeles.
“On behalf of the Blue Jackets, I’d like to thank Daniil for his contributions to our organization over the past four years,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “He is an outstanding young man, and we wish he and his family well in the future.”
Tarasov, a pending restricted free agent, played sparingly in 2024-25 as Elvis Merzlikins’ backup. He struggled in the role, going 7-10-2 with a 3.54 goals-against average and .881 save percentage in 20 games and needed an AHL conditioning stint to regain his timing after multiple poor outings led to long stints between appearances.
Greaves, meanwhile, seized multiple opportunities to play NHL games ahead of Tarasov — including a scorching stint to help the Blue Jackets finish the season two points shy of a playoff spot after a six-game winning streak.
Listed at 6-feet, 190 pounds, Greaves is five inches shorter than Tarasov and undersized as a goalie. That’s why the Jackets were able to sign him out of the junior ranks in 2021 from the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts. Since turning pro, Greaves has worked his way up the organization’s depth chart while starring in net for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters the past four years.
He has also impressed teammates and coaches with the Blue Jackets during multiple stints as an injury fill-in the past three years — culminating with an outstanding stretch to finish last season.
After being recalled April 10 as an injury replacement for Merzlikins (concussion), Greaves started five straight games and went 5-0-0 with a .975 save percentage, two shutouts and just four goals allowed against 156 shots. Greaves looked ready for his first full NHL season, but Waddell still has work left to retool the roster.
More trades could happen before or during the draft to add/subtract NHL talent, and that’s followed by the July 1 start of free agency. Unless an established NHL-caliber goalie is added without moving Merzlikins out, however, it appears that Greaves will start training camp with an inside track to one of the Jackets’ two NHL goalie spots.
Tarasov, meanwhile, gets a fresh start with a team that has won the Stanley Cup the past two years with former Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky leading the way. The Panthers, run by former Blue Jackets assistant GM Bill Zito, also have former Blue Jackets star defenseman Seth Jones plus several others who greatly benefited from moving to Sunrise, Florida from other NHL teams.
It won’t be shocking if Tarasov becomes the next one.
The 6-5, 203-pound netminder is only 26 and still has high-end potential at the NHL level. He’s quick and athletic, especially at his size, and showed elite ability in spurts during his four seasons with the Blue Jackets. The problems were doing it consistently and staying healthy enough to play.
Tarasov, selected in the third round of the 2017 draft (86th overall), has battled multiple leg injuries that included hip surgery in 2022 and also missed extended time with at least one concussion. He’s from the same hometown in Russia as Bobrovsky, Novokuznetsk, and the Panthers’ star goalie grew up cheering for Tarasov’s father – a tenured professional goalie in Russia.
As for the pick the Blue Jackets acquired for Tarasov, they now have a selection in the fifth round (160th overall). They now hold the 14th and 20th picks in the first round plus six more picks in rounds 2-7 on the draft’s second day.
Waddell met with reporters June 26 at Nationwide Arena, roughly 36 hours before the draft, and said his first-round picks are available to acquire for teams willing to meet the price for one or both. No offers to that point were deemed worthy of parting with the picks, but Waddell is heading into the draft hoping to flip them for a player or players to bolster the Blue Jackets’ roster.
“We could’ve traded both picks by now,” Waddell said. “I’ve had offers for both of them, but I didn’t feel there was value for us. So, we’re not just going to trade the picks because I said we’re going to trade them. We’re going to trade them if it’s a meaningful trade for our hockey club.”
Waddell also completed a swap of organizational depth forwards on June 26, sending AHL Cleveland forward Cam Butler to the Minnesota Wild for Brendan Gaunce, who has one year remaining on a two-year contract. Gaunce is rejoining the Blue Jackets after playing for Columbus and Cleveland from 2021-24.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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