Columbus Blue Jackets 2023-2024 Season Preview: Elvis Merzlikins

Elvis Merzlikins is a fan favorite and has embraced the city of Columbus well. However, this past season was a struggle for him and the Blue Jackets. The success of the CBJ team is tied to the success of Merzlikins. Will Elvis bounce back and be a top starting goaltender in the NHL this upcoming season?

G Elvis Merzlikins

6’3”, 181 lbs

2022-2023 stats: 30 GP, 7 W, 18 L, 4.23 GAA, 0.876 SV%

Acquired: Drafted 3rd round (#76 overall), 2014 NHL Draft

Contract: $5.4m AAV through 2026-2027

Role: Starting goaltender

Elvis only played in 30 games in 2022-2023 due to injuries. In those 30 games, he had 7 wins, 18 losses, 4.23 goals against average, and a 0.876 save percentage. Putting it frankly: those numbers are not good, especially amongst starting NHL goalies. Ideally, a starting goalie will play 50-60 games, will accumulate around 35-40 wins, and will have a save percentage north of 0.910%. That is an ideal scenario and is typical for starting goalies on playoff teams. Elvis will need to improve upon a poor season, as will most of the team.

Elvis Merzlikins will be the starting goaltender in 2023-2024 for the Blue Jackets. He is paid like a starting goaltender and there isn’t much competition within the organization for that starting role. He will be counted on to play between 55-65 games this season. He will also be tasked with being a mentor for young goaltender Daniil Tarasov, who will be the backup goalie this season. CBJ management has high expectations for Tarasov and will expect Merzlikins to help teach him how to be a professional.

One bold prediction: Elvis Merzlikins will have more than 30 wins in the 2023-2024 regular season. The CBJ should be a much better team than the last few seasons. With improved play in front of Elvis, he will be put in a position to find success. If he can stay healthy and regain his confidence, then winning 30 (or more) games of those 55-65 games is not unreasonable. He played in 59 games in 2021-2022 and won 27 of those games. That team, on paper, was not as good as the projected 2023-2024 CBJ team. That leads me to believe that he is definitely capable of winning more than 30 games this upcoming season.

Three keys to success:

1. Rely on that improved defense. Over the past two seasons, the CBJ defense has been one of the worst in the NHL. That alone has put the CBJ goaltenders in a bad position. But the additions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson (along with a healthy Zach Werenski) will drastically improve the defense. That should put Elvis in a better position for success. If the defense doesn’t put Elvis in vulnerable positions and force him make acrobatic saves, then he should be much better than the last few years.
2. Regain the focus. Elvis’ rookie season started off poorly for the young goaltender. He couldn’t buy a win if he tried. Then starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo went down with an injury and the workload was put on Merzlikin’s shoulders. He really was focused in that moment. He refused to answer questions from reporters so that he had no distractions. It paid off. He strung together a great run of wins, many of which were shutouts. That focus really helped Elvis establish himself as an NHL goaltender. He will need to re-discover that focus so that he can be the best version of himself.
3. Play with confidence. Merzlikins has progressively gotten worse since his rookie season. There are multiple reasons to his decline, including injury, poor defensive play, and personal losses (RIP Matiss Kivlenieks). All those factors have really taken a toll on Elvis and, as a result, his confidence has fallen. When Elvis is playing at his best, he is confident and has swagger. He makes difficult saves look routine and his competitiveness really shines. He needs to regain that confidence. If he can, he could really shine as the starting goalie.

Elvis Merzlikins will have a lot of pressure on him in 2023-2024. He started his career off well and  earned the starting goaltender role and the contract that comes with it. However, ever since earning that contract, he has struggled to stay healthy and to be one of the better goalies in the NHL. He needs to live up to the job and prove to management (and the fans) that he is deserving of being the starting goalie in Columbus. The CBJ will go as far as their goaltending will take them this year. With Elvis being the starter, a lot of pressure rides on his shoulders.