Deadline Discussion: Elvis Merzlikins
With the trade deadline just over two weeks away and the team in last place, GM Jarmo Kekalainen has probably been very busy fielding calls about nearly every player on the roster. It’s up to him and his staff to decide who fits in here long-term, and who does not. So, with the defense and goaltending struggling, is it possible that the team could shock us all by trading away goaltender Elvis Merzlikins?
It’s been a brutal season for Merzlikins, and it really hasn’t been all his fault. We’ve talked all year about the injuries this team is weeding through, and no position has been more affected than the blue line. Through 53 games, the team does not have a single defenseman who has played in every game – and just three who have played in at least 50 (Vladislav Gavrikov, Erik Gudbranson with 52 each, and Andrew Peeke with 51).
In fact, after those three, the next closest player in games played this season is rookie Tim Berni, who has been in the lineup for 30 games. All of this has piled up on top of what was already the least experienced defense corps in the league, exposing this team’s true weakness early and often this season.
What this means for the goaltenders here is that, they find themselves under siege for long stretches of time when the team fails to clear the puck. The overall inexperience on the back-end has led to countless shifts of scrambling in the D-zone, and scoring chances against that most teams in the league wouldn’t even consider giving up.
Goaltending is as much a mental game as it is skill or athletic based. By style, Elvis Merzlikins is an aggressive, athletic goaltender, who moves rapidly from side to side in his crease. This allows him to make the odd dazzling save; extremely effective at breaking up the one-timer or a bang-bang play. But on the flip side, this can expose him if players have time and space with the puck – if he over-pushes or commits too soon, the far side of the net can be left wide open. NHL shooters can pick those corners.
BIG stop by Elvis 🛑 pic.twitter.com/JKhFey5kNM
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 29, 2023
This has been the problem for Elvis so far this season. While we would all love for him to stop every puck, it simply isn’t going to happen – no matter who is in the crease. Often this season, the team gives up an early goal, and it snowballs from there. On several occasions, we’ve seen Elvis visibly frustrated after a goal against, which speaks volumes about his confidence and the play in front of him.
I believe this is part of the reason the other two goaltenders have been more successful in the crease this year. Both Daniil Tarasov and Joonas Korpisalo are more stationary goaltenders, who rely on positioning and a calmer demeanor to stop pucks. It’s an inexperience thing that’s helping contribute to Elvis’ struggles. They give up one, then two, frustration sets in, then three, four … you get the idea.
With Joonas Korpisalo and Daniil Tarasov owning the better play this season, some people have speculated on the team trading Elvis Merzlikins at the deadline in spite of his long-term contract with the Jackets. I’m almost certain that will not happen.
Merzlikins is signed with the Jackets for another four seasons after this one, with a cap hit of $5.4m AAV. This is actually the first year of his five-year extension, signed in the fall of 2021, which gives him the salary and tenure you expect from a starting goalie. Unfortunately, for all of the reasons mentioned, he’s struggled this year to the tune of just an 87.1% save percentage.
Taking all of this into account, you’re taking a talented, competitive goaltender that you signed to a long-term deal, but has struggled behind a team decimated by injuries and youth this year. You’re trying to sell him at bottom dollar to try and extend a guy coming off of serious hip surgery, whose value might actually be pretty high at this point. Think about all of that for a second.
The absolute best outcome here, is Merzlikins regaining the form that saw him earn this contract extension and stamp of faith from management in Columbus. He’s shown us that he can be a starter in this league before, that he can steal the spotlight under pressure and win games he has no business winning.
Getting back into that groove will help this franchise immensely, and it’s really the only outcome that we should be hoping for here. Trading him with a likely retained cap hit for pennies on the dollar, or buying him out, is not something we should be asking for as fans. Elvis remained loyal to the team and the city of Columbus; it’s up to us as fans, and the team to repay him by helping him through his struggles.
We saw glimpses of that for the first time in his most recent game, Saturday night in Toronto. The team was down 2-0 after the first period, but Elvis kept them in the game with some incredible saves. The team, finally, for what seems like the first time this season, rallied around him and stole the win.
If they can trend in that direction and perform better for him, his numbers will improve. So will his confidence. His contract situation means that he’s going to be in the crease here for at least the next handful of seasons. So back your goaltender, fifth line. The team isn’t going to trade him, and he needs our support.
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