Elvis Merzlikins

Merzlikins had quite a season in 2023-24. Some nights, he was unbeatable - others, bad doesn't describe how poorly he played. In between, there was a media storm from a so-called trade request and public rifts with upper management. All while playing behind a horrendous team. Merzlikins has never been the goalie he was in his rookie season. His play has declined almost every season, and in 2023-24, he went 13-17-8 with a 3.45 GAA and .897 save percentage. The leash on Merzlikins will be short this season, if he's not traded before camp. It'll be tough to move a declining asset with three more years on a $5.4 million AAV deal. Daniil Tarasov will push to be the starter, and that will further stress the situation. Stay away on draft day, but pop some corn and watch the show from afar.

Merzlikins had a rough 2022-23 campaign, posting a 7-18-2 record, a 4.23 GAA and an .876 save percentage in 30 games. Still, given the Blue Jackets' alternatives in goal -- Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves -- Merzlikins is going into the season with a fresh opportunity to be Columbus' starter. The Blue Jackets were a disaster defensively last season and perhaps new head coach Mike Babcock can help with that, which would in turn make Merzlikins' job a little easier. The squad also hired Niklas Backstrom to serve as the new goaltending coach, so Merzlikins will get to work with someone who should have a fresh perspective on his struggles and the possible solutions. Any goaltender has the potential to be a pleasant surprise, but the most likely scenario is still that Merzlikins will finish 2023-24 with a GAA above 3.00 and a save percentage below .900.

The Blue Jackets had no choice but to give Merzlikins the lion's share of the playing time a year ago. He finished with 59 appearances, including 16 of their final 17 regular season games. The overall numbers - 27-23-7 record, 3.22 GAA, .907 save percentage -- were in line with what was to be expected from a goalie playing behind a mediocre club. The team added the best free agent on the market this summer in Johnny Gaudreau to help their offense, while also inking Erik Gudbranson to provide some veteran support on defense. Merzlikins should be well ahead of Joonas Korpisalo on the depth chart, so there's some sneaky fantasy potential here if Columbus can improve as a team in 2022-23.

Merzilkins' numbers predictably suffered as the Blue Jackets as a team regressed considerably in the 2020-21 campaign. His GAA ballooned from 2.35 to 2.77 and his save percentage dropped from .923 to .916. Merzlikins also missed time with injuries on multiple occasions. Both Merzlikins and platoon mate Joonas Korpisalo had poor seasons and are scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer. Columbus seems likely to give both playing time until one man separates himself from the other. That makes Merzlikins a fringe fantasy option due to the fact Columbus is expected to once again be a middling team.

For about six weeks last season, Merzlikins not only looked like the Blue Jackets' goalie of the future, he looked like the next Dominik Hasek. The 26-year-old posted a 1.51 GAA and .953 save percentage with 12 wins and five shutouts over a 15-appearance stretch from late December to mid-February, but a concussion suffered during a collision with Ottawa's Anthony Duclair ended his extraordinary run. While he wasn't sidelined for long, he wasn't able to recapture that magic upon his return, ceding the starting job back to Joonas Korpisalo in the process. Korpisalo's own outstanding play down the stretch and in the playoffs gives Columbus two goalies with strong claims to the No. 1 job, and the result could be a timeshare to begin the season, or coach John Tortorella could decide to ride the hot hand. Merzlikins has the size, skills and athleticism to thrive but his daredevil instincts could result in a roller coaster performance, and Torts might prefer the steadier hand in Korpisalo. It is, however, hard to ignore the elite upside Elvis has already flashed in his brief NHL career.

A third round pick in the 2014 draft, Merzlikins has been honing his skills over the last few years with Swiss powerhouse Lugano, but Sergei Bobrovsky's departure opens the door for the Latvian to jump right to the NHL without any minor-league seasoning. Merzlikins is a classic butterfly goalie with size and athleticism, and if he can temper his natural aggression enough to keep his angles, he's got the potential to be Bobrovsky's successor. Joonas Korpisalo is likely to open the season as the No. 1 in net for Columbus due to his experience, but if Merzlikins adapts quickly, he could well steal the job sometime this winter.