The Blue Jackets want to improve after a disastrous 2022-23 season. After upgrading its defense corps by bringing in Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, and drafting potential #1 center in Adam Fantilli; they are looking to make a playoff push. But one thing that was not addressed: goaltending.
Going in to the 2023-2024 season, Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov appear to be the 1-2 punch in net. Elvis will likely carry the bulk of the load, as he is the #1 goaltender in the organization. Tarasov will be the back-up and will likely play around 20-25 games. The CBJ will need both to play well to achieve their goal of making the playoffs. Will they be good enough?
Elvis’s struggles have been well documented. The hope is that he will improve with the improved defense. However, he still needs to maintain his health and regain his confidence so that he can be the #1 goaltender that this organization needs him to be. Can Elvis regain his form of the rookie goalie from 2019-2020? Time will tell. The CBJ still believe in him.
A 31-save shutout and a DANDY of a stop for Elvis Merzlikins (@Merzly30) tonight. 🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/sWBYkIfWSL
— NHL (@NHL) January 14, 2022
If Elvis still struggles, the CBJ have high hopes and confidence in Daniil Tarasov. However, Tarasov comes with his own questions. While he has potential and raw talent, he has not developed into the goaltender that the organization envisioned him to be. He has yet to play a full season in North America due to injuries that have limited his playing time. That is concerning. Can Tarasov be an NHL goaltender? Better yet, can he be a reliable NHL goaltender? Both are fair questions.
After those two guys, who’s next? Jet Greaves faired well in his short stint in the NHL and has been honorable in Cleveland. But he still has a lot to prove before he is an NHL regular. Nolan Lalonde looked promising 2 seasons ago but struggled last season in junior. He still requires development in the AHL. There just aren’t a lot of options behind Merzlikins and Tarasov for the upcoming season. Last season, the CBJ played 6 goaltenders due to injury or trade. If they go into next season with only 2 goaltenders with experience, that is dangerous.
I still suspect Jarmo is working the phones to upgrade his goaltending for the upcoming season. He knows that the organization needs more depth at that position. Does he look for an NHL veteran who won’t mind playing between Columbus and Cleveland? Or does he look to acquire an NHL goaltender who can push Elvis for ice time? If he does the latter, then that would mean that Tarasov would likely be sent to Cleveland and would require clearing waivers to get there.
I believe it would be best for Jarmo to acquire a goaltender who will play significant games in Columbus. I don’t think the organization will lose Tarasov on waivers should they need to send him to Cleveland. His inability to stay healthy would likely deter most other teams from taking a flyer on him. If Jarmo can acquire someone who can push Elvis and play 25+ games and have Tarasov as an option at goalie #3, then I think that would put the organization in a much better place than it is now.