The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a strange situation regarding their goaltenders. Daniil Tarasov is supposed to be their goaltender of the future, but he hasn’t been able to gather any momentum toward achieving that goal so far this season.
Elvis Merzlikins’ struggles are well documented at this point and it’s starting to seem clear that regardless of what the organization does, they’re not going to be able to rely on him consistently moving forward. It seems the ship has sailed for him to revert to the goalie we saw in his first two seasons at the NHL level.
The Blue Jackets started off hot this season, then quickly fell down the standings. Now, it seems they’re on a bit of a rebound but if they can’t trust their goaltenders, it could all fall apart once again. With the growing popularity of three-goaltender rotations around the NHL, it may be time for general manager Don Waddell to explore that option.
Martin Jones
As one of the few free-agent goaltenders remaining, Martin Jones is the most realistic option to create a three-goalie rotation in Columbus. While he wasn’t phenomenal during his stint with the Seattle Kraken during the 2022-23 season, he massively helped keep the Toronto Maple Leafs in a playoff spot during a very difficult part of the 2023-24 season.
With Jones, it’s hard to say exactly what the Blue Jackets would get. He could be a goaltender who maintains a save percentage (SV%) over .900, or he could hover around the .880 mark. Either way, it would be an improvement over at least one of the goaltenders, if not both, who are currently on the roster. Added competition could provide a spark for Tarasov in particular, who needs to turn his season around if he’s going to get his development back on track.
Anton Forsberg
Long-time Blue Jackets fans will remember the name Anton Forsberg, and not for a good reason. Despite being a phenomenal goaltender at the American Hockey League level with the Cleveland Monsters while in the Blue Jackets organization, he struggled mightily when he got opportunities at the NHL level. Since leaving Columbus, his career has taken off a bit and he’s proven he’s a legitimate NHL-caliber goaltender even though he does still have the occasional struggles.
The Ottawa Senators find themselves 15th in the Eastern Conference, so it’s easy to assume that any pending free agent will be available for the right price. Forsberg would be joining a Blue Jackets organization that is massively different than the one he left following the 2016-17 season. He’s far from an elite goaltender who will solve all of the Blue Jackets’ problems, but he could certainly perform at a higher level than either Merzlikins or Tarasov at this point.
Mackenzie Blackwood
Through the San Jose Sharks’ struggles during both the 2023-24 season and so far this season, there have been a few players who have performed at a high level regardless of the team’s performance. Mackenzie Blackwood is one of those players. With the Sharks, he faces a high volume of shots which causes his statistics to appear much worse than they actually are.
Despite the less-than-stellar defense in front of him, Blackwood has managed to maintain a .909 EV% and a 3.07 goals-against average. He’s pulling himself into the conversation for Team Canada at the Four-Nations Face-Off as well.
With Blackwood in the final season of his contract, acquiring him from the rebuilding Sharks may not be overly difficult. With that being said, it could be more difficult to keep him in Columbus moving forward. Out of the three listed here though, he’s the most likely to establish himself as a true starting goalie with the Blue Jackets and to have an effect on the organization for more than a single season.
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The Blue Jackets are a team that needs to find a way to stabilize themselves if they want to overcome low expectations and remain in a playoff battle as the season progresses. Adding a goaltender they could trust more than Merzlikins and Tarasov would do wonders for the organization as a whole, and could spark one of their current netminders to finally take a step in the right direction.
