Eastern Conference Veterans Entering Pivotal 2026-27 Season

Last week we looked into younger players across each division who have the most to prove this year. Those examples aside, the entire NHL is full of names who face a crucial season ahead, so next it’s time to look at some veterans who especially need to show something to extend their NHL careers.

To meet this criteria, names must be true NHL veterans over age 30 with expiring contracts. Not quite at the age of an ideal retirement, setting aside somebody like 41-year-old Corey Perry and however his game looks this year, they’ve been on a performance slide and have uncertain NHL futures as the new age ushers in. Prime examples of this off-season include 34-year-old Kevin Hayes, a 2023 All-Star only to move on to the KHL. There are also names like Jeff Skinner and Calle Järnkrok, also unable to find a contract and going abroad despite being valuable full-time NHLers as recently as two years ago.

Who will need to avoid ending up in a similar situation next year? We start with three players from the Eastern Conference.

Elvis Merzlikins – Columbus Blue Jackets

Bursting onto the scene six years ago and taking the crease from Joonas Korpisalo, 32-year-old Elvis Merzlikins has been in decline ever since signing a five year extension in Columbus. With his $5.4MM cap hit too high to present a shot at a change of scenery, 2026-27 is the last year of the deal. The goaltender will have to dig deep in a stale environment and find a level not seen in practically five years to solidify his NHL future. Already losing the #1 role to Jet Greaves, the netminder must make the most of a backup role for the Jackets. His statistics have been underwater for some time, with a -7.3 saves above expected last year across his 30 appearances, according to Moneypuck. That’s not quite league-worst range, but still worse than struggling names like Sam Montembeault in Montreal or Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. The Latvian’s save percentage has been below .900 over the past four years, so it’s not glowing in the traditional metrics either.

Outside factors have certainly played a part in Merzlikins’ decline. The tragic 2021 passing of Matiss Kivlenieks, a fellow goaltender from Latvia, is a burden he had to carry along with the devastating loss of another teammate, Johnny Gaudreau, three years later. The longtime Blue Jacket has also dealt with injuries, undergoing shoulder surgery this summer which has an uncertain timetable for his return. It’s not like he wouldn’t be an adequate backup somewhere on a one-year deal later on, but every off-season the goalie musical chairs game causes a few names to be bumped out, Cam Talbot and Connor Ingram examples for now. For Merzlikins to avoid such a scenario a year from now it would require a turnaround back to league average, which would be a nice ending to his time in Ohio as a fan favorite.

Ondrej Palat – New York Islanders

35-year-old Ondřej Palát has put together an incredible career for a 2011 seventh-round pick, winning two Stanley Cups across his 905 games. Just about anybody would be content to hang up their skates after that, but if the winger wants to extend his NHL career into his late 30s he’ll need to step up and find a way to pull more weight for the Islanders. Entering the final of the five-year deal he earned from the Devils, Palát’s inevitable decline already started practically from day one as a Devil, unable to be a top-six contributor but still offering secondary scoring. It was especially apparent after he offered just 10 points in 51 games in Newark last season, ice time down to 12:45, which led to a cap-dump trade across Manhattan over to Long Island in January. Scoring a goal and assist in his Islanders debut against the rival Rangers had fans fired up, but Palát wouldn’t find the back of the net again in his remaining 28 games, finishing with 15 points across his 80 total.

New York will run it back with a mostly unchanged roster, hoping that new coach Peter DeBoer elevates the group of veteran forwards on the way to a playoff push. Adding the slick Mattias Maccelli means Palát will have to embrace a fourth-line role, and opportunities as a net front presence on the second power-play unit will be harder to come by. A team known to prioritize a tight fourth line which can kill penalties reliably, he had no such deployment as an Islander, so at this point the lefty is set to be a $6MM fourth-liner with no special teams contribution. It’ll be difficult for the Czech veteran to impact the game, but if he can continue to be a valuable locker room presence, finding a way to secure around 13 minutes a night and chip in around 25 points, that’s likely what it would take to create demand for his free agency. Based on players like Reilly Smith and Michael Bunting still on the market today it won’t be easy for the former Tampa forward next summer, and whatever happens it has been an impressive ride.