I think Elvis would be the very first person to tell you that his last couple of seasons of results are just not good enough.
It's not that he doesn't care. In fact, my feeling is that it's entirely the opposite. He cares too much, wearing his heart on his sleeve each and every day.
That's certainly been a big part of the problem. An early goal against, a player standing in his crease, or a late hack to the glove have all set him off and cost this team more goals against.
The Jackets knew what they were getting when they signed Merzlikins to this extension. The outspoken goaltender was always quick to remind everyone that he wasn't here to be the backup.
But since signing this contract extension, he's been passed up by nearly every other goaltender that the team has played. This season, Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves both posted .908% save percentages - behind the same terrible Blue Jacket team.
Even waiver pickup Spencer Martin was producing closer to Merzlikins than we should have been comfortable with.
And to be honest, that Blue Jacket team looked a lot more comfortable in front of all of them, than they did in front of Merzlikins most nights. That's not good.
All of this means that one of the biggest pieces of business for the new GM of the Jackets is figuring out what to do with their goaltending situation. Let's look at the three options at hand.