COLUMBUS, Ohio — By the end of last season, there was a distinct feeling in and around Nationwide Arena that goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had played his last game with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Nobody could say exactly how Merzlikins’ departure from Columbus would be orchestrated, of course. A trade? That seemed unlikely, not only due to Merzlikins’ inflated contract ($5.4 million per season through 2026-27) but because free agency figures to be a buyer’s market for goaltenders.
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A buyout? Well, that’s a tough pill to swallow, considering it would keep Merzlikins on the Blue Jackets’ books for six more seasons at a time when they’ll have some high-priced young players needing new contracts, and perhaps wanting to sign long-term.
Merzlikins’ future in Columbus is just one of the dilemmas that landed on Don Waddell’s lap when he signed on last month to become the Blue Jackets’ president and general manager.
But Waddell was surprisingly frank in a recent talk with The Athletic, making it clear that Merzlikins isn’t going anywhere.
“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell said. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are years three, four, five and six, when you might need that cap space.
“So you’ve eliminated those two options.”
It’s going to be a long summer in Columbus, and Waddell still has plenty of conversations to hold with Blue Jackets front-office staffers, coaches and players. That is to say that it’s possible Waddell’s plans as of today may be altered after he gets a better view of the landscape.
But Waddell plans to give Merzlikins another chance to show the Blue Jackets organization that he can carry the load as a No. 1 goaltender, not just through his play but in his ability to handle a starter’s workload and carry himself like a leader on the club.
“Let’s put all the resources we can toward it,” Waddell said. “I don’t want to come across as criticizing anything that’s happened here before, because I don’t know what’s happened here before. But we all mesh differently.
“My approach is, ‘Let’s put all our time and effort into this.’ At the end of the day, we can say we did everything possible to put this in the right position. Two outcomes are possible: we succeed or we fail. If we succeed, we keep moving forward. If we fail, well, now we have to figure things out.
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“It’s easier to say, ‘Just do this or that (trade or buyout).’ But those aren’t options.”
It’s hard to say if this will be music to Merzlikins’ ears or not. Remember those awkward few days last January after Merzlikins was given an extended break while Spencer Martin and Daniil Tarasov handled the Blue Jackets’ nets?
Merzlikins initially said he hadn’t requested a trade. But then, upon his return to the starter’s role a couple of days later, he said matter-of-factly that he had requested a trade. Moments later, according to his agent, Gerry Johannson, Merzlikins went into the back dressing room and phoned Johannson, saying he made a “mistake” and mispoke to the media.
Dizzy yet?
Waddell has always seen something in Merzlikins. In his introductory press conference, he noted that he tried to trade for Merzlikins four years ago, when Waddell was GM for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Blue Jackets were debating which goalie to keep, Merzlikins or Joonas Korpisalo.
That seems like a long time ago now.
Merzlikins was significantly better this season than in 2022-23, but he still wasn’t what you’d expect from the NHL’s 10th-highest-paid active goaltenders. Among goaltenders who appeared in 41 or more games, Merzlikins’ .897 save percentage was ranked 27th and his 3.45 goals-against average was 30th.
Part of that was the Blue Jackets’ defensive play, which despite adding veteran blueliners Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, still allowed the second-most goals (298) in the NHL. Only the San Jose Sharks (326), who finished in last place overall, allowed more.
Another issue was Merzlikins’ frequent absences from the lineup. He played only 41 games — still the second-highest total of his career — and was out of the lineup repeatedly with bumps and bruises and minor illnesses. Only once all season did he start and finish four consecutive games.
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The Blue Jackets started to see what a healthy Tarasov could do last season, and it was impressive by the end of the season, when he drew a more consistent workload. Meanwhile, Jet Greaves continues to thrive with AHL Cleveland, including a dominating run in the AHL playoffs.
It’s not as if the Blue Jackets don’t have options in net. But they don’t have many options with Merzlikins, Waddell believes, other than to run it back next season and try to make it work.
The buyout for Merzlikins, according to CapFriendly, would cost the Blue Jackets $1.15 million this season, $1.625 million in 2025-26, $2.925 million in 2026-27 and $1.75 million in 2027-28, 2028-29 and 2029-30.
In addition to Merzlikins’ contract being untradeable, in Waddell’s eyes, the player has a 10-team no-trade clause that could make things even more challenging.
Waddell said Merzlikins was expected back in Columbus at some point late last week, and he was hoping to meet with him soon after he arrived.
Let the reclamation project begin.
(Photo of Elvis Merzlikins: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)