An Elvis Merzlikins buyout...
The elephant in the room continues to be the Elvis Merzlikins situation. For all of the improvements this team has made over this offseason, his play likely dictates how the upcoming season will go.
Johnny Gaudreau could score 100 points this season. Sean Monahan could net 30 goals. Kirill Marchenko could hit 70-80 points on their wing. Adam Fantilli could break out and be electrifying. Zach Werenski could set more franchise records from the blue line.
None of this will matter if the team gives up 300+ goals again.
This is directly affected by Elvis Merzlikins, whose contract pretty much ensures that he's the starting goaltender here. Or, at least, seeing his share of starts. The problem is, since he signed his 5-year, $5.4 million AAV deal just before the start of the 2021 season, he's seen his numbers go completely in the wrong direction.
With the recent rumors about him being an issue in the locker room, it's hard to see this team succeeding unless Elvis Merzlikins stays quiet and plays strong, consistent hockey in net. If not, he may be headed for a buyout next summer.
Which wouldn't be the end of the world. An Elvis buyout is actually pretty palatable at that point, because he would only have 2 years remaining on his deal. This means the team would be on the hook for his cap for 4 years, with the highest AAV penalty coming in year two ($2.8 million dollars). Here's what the full buyout would look like.
The Jackets would save a lot of money, and clear away a personality that doesn't sound like it's been too popular in the room. If he has a bounce-back season, however, the team could be in great shap. Maybe then they could look at our final option for this cap space...