Despite Nico Daws ‘ recent strong play, the New Jersey Devils still need to look for another goalie to pair with him. There are a number of names out there, and they all come with a different price and risk. The question becomes how much of a risk is general manager Tom Fitzgerald willing to take to fix and stabilize the team’s netminding? He could go short-term and add someone for just the rest of the season, or he can look for something more long-term. If he chooses the latter, one name that has popped up over the past few days is the Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
Merzlikins has been very public over the past week about his desire to be traded out of Columbus. It started on Friday, Jan. 12, after getting demoted to the third-string netminder. He clearly expressed his frustration and desire to be the number-one guy for a team. He later clarified his comments and said to reporters that he requested a trade from the Metropolitan team after a 4-3 win on Monday, Jan. 15. Now, it seems to be only a matter of time before the Latvian goalie will get traded.
There are certainly teams out there looking for goalie help, and the Devils are one of them. Many fans have already flocked to social media to express either their desire or lack of interest in the soon-to-be 30-year-old goaltender. Just like with any player, there will be positives and negatives to acquiring them for one’s team. The challenge is to weigh both sides and see what makes sense. Let’s take a look and why or why not the Devils should bring Elvis to the Garden State.
Why the Devils Should Trade for Merzlikins
The first and most obvious reason why the Devils should look to pursue Merzlikins is that they need a goalie. While there are other options out there, Merzlikins offers a few things that make him an enticing option. One is that he’s already under contract for the next few seasons. He is currently in the second year of a five-year pact he signed before the start of the 2022-23 season.
Fitzgerald has shown to be the type of GM who likes to acquire players with term, and Merzlikins fits that bill. His cap hit, while high at $5.4 million, is lower than other options that the Devils have looked at, such as the Anaheim Ducks’ John Gibson and Calgary Flames’ Jacob Markstrom. Another reason is that Merzlikins is younger than those two goalies, and with his comments of late, it doesn’t seem like the Blue Jackets will have much leverage in making a deal. That could allow Fitzgerald to pull the trigger on a trade without having to give up much.
Finally, when you look at his stats over the past few seasons, there is room to pause. While he only has eight wins in 24 games played with a 3.22 GAA and a .906 save percentage, Merzlikins has still been solid and could certainly benefit from playing for a more talented team in front of him. A major argument for the decrease in Merzlikins’ performance can be traced to the significant decline in play by the Blue Jackets as a whole. Acquiring him would be a gamble, but he would fill a need and could help get the Devils closer to being a true Stanley Cup-contending team.
Why the Devils Should Not Trade for Merzlikins
Just like every available netminder, there is risk involved. He has been somewhat similar to Vitek Vanecek in that he was once one of the statistically worst goalies in the league. In 2022-23, he registered an NHL-worst -25.9 goals saved above expected (GSAx), according to Money Puck. However, he’s been much better this season despite the Blue Jackets’ struggles, posting a 3.22 GAA, .906 SV%, and .09 GSAx. But if he is similar to how Vanecek has been this season, it’s not an upgrade at all.
Another issue is the cap hit. As we mentioned, Merzlikins is signed for three more years at a $5.4 million cap hit, and despite the salary cap slated to go up, it may make things difficult to re-sign others, such as Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec.
The Devils will have enough cap space to make a deal work for this year, with Dougie Hamilton’s $9 million cap hit eventually going on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). However, the Devils will then have to make plenty of decisions in the offseason in terms of who they want to keep. It’s also not a guarantee or sure thing that a Merzlikins deal could happen this year. According to Frank Seravalli, NHL teams have known the Blue Jackets’ goaltender was available already and that there doesn’t seem to be much traction on a deal.
“(I’m) not sold that’s gonna be the case,” Seravalli explained when prompted if Merzlikins is a deadline acquisition for a buying team. “This has made it out publicly now by Elvis Merzlikins, basically saying it. You kind of got a sense from the Columbus Blue Jackets and head coach Pascal Vincent of what he was thinking about in terms of not playing for some time…This was kind of writing on the wall, and here’s the thing…NHL teams have known Merzlikins has been looking for a change of scenery for months now.”
Frank Seravalli (from ‘The Market For Merzlikins | Daily Faceoff LIVE’, January 16th, 2024)
There are certainly a ton of particulars in terms of whether a deal should or could be made to acquire Merzlikins. It’s going to be an interesting few weeks as we get closer to the Mar. 8 Trade Deadline. One thing is for sure: the Devils need goalie help and Merzlikins is an option in the net. Whether he makes sense for New Jersey is up for debate.
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