The future of the goaltending situation in Columbus has finally come to a head this season. Following the departure of Sergei Bobrovsky six seasons ago and outside of a few highlights here and there, the play of the Goalie position in Columbus has been near, or at, the league's bottom standard every season.
Using save percentage above expected (on unblocked shots) as a reference point per our friends at Moneypuck.com, we determined that Jackets team goaltending is second to last in the NHL this season in all situations. Only the struggling Colorado Avalanche behind them.
In five seasons following the end of Bobrovsky's contract in 2019, the Jackets finished 24th, 29th, 20th, 24th, and 18th in this team goaltending statistic. Combining that with, at the very least, inconsistent defensive scheming: you get one of the worst clubs at preventing pucks from hitting the back of their net in the NHL over the past half-decade.
The three main netminders during that period were Joonas Korpisalo, Elvis Merzlikins, and Daniil Tarasov. With Korpisalo now serving in the backup role behind Jeremy Swayman in Boston after a tumultuous stay in Ottawa, it's left just Merzlikins and Tarasov as the heirs to Bobrovsky's vacant throne.
Neither man has done enough to distance himself from the other and are more in the direction of playing themselves out of Columbus at this point. Elvis' career numbers now sit at a middling 3.19 GAA and .903 SV%, and Tarasov's an abysmal 3.55 GAA and .897 SV%. While GAA and save percentage are more team statistics than individual ones, neither set is up to the standard required of a starting netminder in the NHL. The only goalie in the organization with a positive goals saved above expected stat over the past three seasons is Jet Greaves, in still limited NHL action.
With Jet Greaves' waivers exemption coming to an end after this season, the expiration of Daniil Tarasov's current deal, and the possibility of a Merzlikins buyout over the summer approaching, new General Manager Don Waddell has set himself up to have to decide the future of the netminding position in Columbus. Let's take a look at a few possible situations that we could see on opening night in 2025-2026.