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Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Blue Jackets Need to Have Short Leash With Merzlikins

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By William Espy | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 9:50 AM ET

The Columbus Blue Jackets certainly have a few question marks as they head into the 2025-26 season. The most glaring one is in the crease.

Our Matthew Buhrmann discussed the addition of Ivan Fedotov and the organizational depth at the goaltender position; however, if the Blue Jackets are going to make the playoffs, they need to figure out how to approach Elvis Merzlikins.

Years of Struggles

Merzlikins, at one point, was supposed to be the Blue Jackets’ goaltender of the future. In a way, it can be argued that he has become just that; however, it’s been in a way that has been detrimental to team success. His current contract began during the 2022-23 season, a season in which he recorded a career-worst .876 save percentage (SV%) and a goals-against average of 4.23. Of goaltenders who played ten or more games, Merzlikins ranked 77th out of 79 players in save percentage that season. Simply put, he struggled mightily.

There were certainly a few off-ice incidents around that time that didn’t help Merzlikins’ confidence, and he did improve the following season, but not by much.

Merzlikins finished the 2023-24 season with a .897 SV%, which ranked 52nd among 73 goaltenders who played ten or more games. This past season, he finished 53rd in SV% with the same criteria. His GAA has gone down over the past few years, which is a positive step, but a starting goaltender regularly posting a SV% under .900 isn’t setting his team up for success.

The main issue with Merzlikins isn’t necessarily all about his play. While his numbers are lacklustre, they’re not bad enough to render a player unusable. His numbers would be passable for a backup goaltender; however, they certainly weren’t good enough for a player who was the 12th-highest-paid goaltender during the 2024-25 season, or the 10th-highest-paid goaltender the season before, for that matter.

At the end of the day, the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs by two points last season. If Merzlikins had been a league-average goaltender, or even slightly below average, the Blue Jackets likely would’ve made it to the playoffs.

Plenty of Options

Heading into the 2025-26 season, there’s hope that this will be the season Merzlikins finally turns his game around and becomes the goaltender he showed he could be early in his career. At the end of the day, though, if he starts the season off struggling or hits a major slump at some point in the season, the Blue Jackets can’t miss the playoffs due to inadequate goaltending for a second straight season. Especially with a player like Jet Greaves waiting in the wings, who, although unproven, has shown he can perform well with the team in front of him.

Even the addition of Fedotov could be a difference-maker for the Blue Jackets. He didn’t perform to expectations with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he’s only had one full season to adapt to the North American brand of hockey. He was a highly regarded player during his time in the Kontinental Hockey League, and he shouldn’t be written off at this point in his career.

The Blue Jackets will likely give Merzlikins a chance to keep his net heading into the season, as they should. However, the second it seems things are going off the rails for the Latvian netminder, head coach Dean Evason needs to make a change. He has legitimate depth options in the crease, something the Blue Jackets haven’t had over the past few seasons. As a result, if the Merzlikins project fails for the fourth straight season, he needs to be relegated to a lesser role, and the younger options need to be prioritized.