Things have not gone according to plan ever since goaltender Elvis Merzlikins signed an extension to stay with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although his 2023-24 season was better statistically than the previous year, his performance is not meeting the value of his contract.
GM Don Waddell said over the summer that “nobody’s taking that contract” when discussing Merzlikins. However, it was important to note that Waddell admitted being interested in the goaltender while he was in Carolina.
Given that there’s three seasons left on that contract and the fact the Blue Jackets didn’t buy Merzlikins out, it leaves them with the option of hoping for a big turnaround in 2024-25. With Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves pushing for more playing time, the pressure is on Merzlikins to find his game.
This appears to be an open competition. While the contract suggests Merzlikins is the number-one, preseason performance will dictate who gets the net in Game 1. If Tarasov is clearly better, he’ll play.
Merzlikins spoke exclusively to the Hockey Writers after his group’s practice Saturday to discuss his offseason and preparation for the upcoming season.
“I feel good,” Merzlikins said. “I’m happy to be back. I miss hockey, missed the boys. So happy to be back.”
While most of the Blue Jackets’ players paid close attention to the state of the GM search, Merzlikins took a different approach on the suggestion of his wife. After the World Championships were completed, the family traveled to Europe where Elvis could mentally reset. They spent time in Warsaw where his wife Aleksandra’s family lives. They also spent time in Switzerland.
During that time, Merzlikins shut hockey off completely. It was on purpose for his benefit.
“As the moment I left Columbus until the moment I came back here, I did not care about hockey at all,” Merzlikins said. “That’s why I’m telling you I took time for myself. I had no idea what was going on in the playoffs. Of course, I watched Game 7. But I took it off. I needed to take it off. I followed my wife’s suggestion and that was the best suggestion so far because when I came back here, I felt unreal, super strong and a fresh man.”
Merzlikins came back to Columbus at the end of July. Even when the team was still looking for a head coach throughout the month, he wasn’t paying attention. Once he got back to town, he went right to work preparing for the season.
“As soon as I came back, fresh mind. I had fresh energy. So I started working out right away with my strength coaches. I think we did a pretty good job because I feel pretty good.”
While Merzlikins didn’t pay attention to the search as it was going on, he is a big fan of the new leadership in town led by Waddell and Evason.
“Amazing. I love it,” Merzlikins said. “The people here now, they’re just straight up to you and that’s awesome. We have great staff here now and I’m really excited for this year and am looking forward to it.”
Much has been made about Merzlikins’ desire to be a number-one goaltender. With Tarasov and possibly Greaves not far behind, there’s no guarantee Merzlikins wins the competition. While he says his relationship with them is great, he knows there is competition but they are friends and are willing to help push each other for the best result possible. Does he feel pressure going into the season knowing that there’s competition and trying to live up to his contract?
“I’ll tell you no,” Merzlikins said. “I’m going to tell you, I don’t know if it’s going to come the right way or wrong way now but I don’t care. I just want to go out there, have fun, play hockey and enjoy the games with the boys.”
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While there has been questions in the past about how well Merzlikins gets along with his teammates, he believes the the team is closer than ever.
“I’m really happy with the locker room right now. But definitely we’re closer and we’re going to have each other’s back. I’m pretty sure this year is going to be the year that we’re going to have each other’s back. I’m confident and I believe in the locker room.”
Nothing will be given in this goaltender competition. Merzlikins used the offseason to focus and reset. He’s back now feeling good, strong and ready to show what he is able to do.
Greaves Ready for More
When we last saw Jet Greaves, he was leading the Cleveland Monsters into the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. They lost a heartbreaking Game 7 in which the Hershey Bears won just once in regulation on their way to a Game 7 win.
Like the rest of his Monsters’ teammates, Greaves felt the immense pain from losing the series in the manner in which they did. But as he says, they are some positives that can be taken from it too.
Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson said after the series that the Monsters kept him up at night given the way the played especially after being down 3-0 in the series. For Greaves, this fact still makes his stomach turn hearing it.
“I think there’s a lot of positives to look at from that,” Greaves said. “We played a pretty good series especially later on. We felt like we did a lot of good things. And at the same time, that makes my stomach turn a little bit knowing we didn’t win and they did at the end of the day. They were better when it mattered. I think it just makes you more hungry to next time you are in that situation where ever it is, make sure you win because it’s a tough thing to look back on.”
Greaves is in an interesting position now thanks to his great playoff run with the Monsters. Assuming Merzlikins and Tarasov are your 1-2, Greaves is just one situation away from being in the NHL. He’s confident he’s ready if given the opportunity. Where does his confidence come from?
“It’s really just about being patient in the day-to-day,” Greaves said. “I think sometimes it can be easier to look ahead or look far in advance, but I think it’s really just about keeping things simple and what can I do today to be the best I can be. And I think trusting the experiences that I’ve had and really just learning what makes me successful and things that I can rely on in my foundation of who I am as a player and as a person. I think just relying on those things and trusting that if I do those to the best of my ability, things will work out.”
If Greaves doesn’t make the Blue Jackets out of camp, he’s in line to be the Monsters number-one goalie with Zach Sawchenko next-in-line. His playoff performance turned some heads. Should anything happen at the top of the current pecking order, Greaves is ready to be the beneficiary.
Greaves Shares Great Gaudreau Story
The Gaudreau story is at the forefront in Columbus. With how players process things differently and on different timeframes, not everyone is willing to speak on the record about Gaudreau yet. That’s completely understandable.
Greaves was willing to share a great story about what made Johnny so special.
“For me, it’s crazy. I was growing up when he was playing in Calgary,” Greaves said. “He was Johnny Hockey. Growing up, such a superstar of the game, like a larger than life person. We talked about this with some of the younger guys. You come here and then you meet him. He’s just so down to earth. He’s such a great guy to be around. It was almost surreal. You grow up watching this guy and then he’s such a normal, humble guy. So I think that was the coolest thing just seeing what he was about and everybody’s been saying how much he cared about his family.”
“And then I think just the love he had for the game. I remember just him and (Sean Kuraly) having scoring competitions in practice and getting into it like that. That was all just so much fun. I got Kurls yelling at me to stop the next one and I got Johnny yelling at me to stop Kurls. That’s something I’ll always remember. I’m just super grateful to have met him and been around him.”
Whether it was the Philadelphia Eagles, a game of cornhole, scoring competitions after practice or really anything that could be wagered on, Johnny was in the middle of it just having fun with those he knew best.
Side Dishes
- The Blue Jackets ended each practice with quite the shootout drill. Each player got to shoot on a goalie. The team had to lift their stick in the air if they thought they would score. If not, they’d keep their stick down. Loser had to take a down and back lap. Here’s Evason on that drill: “It’s actually a lot of fun. It’s fun as coaches to come up with stuff like that. That drill in particular gives a team aspect yet you’re working on shootouts.”
- Evason also said Saturday that the coaches will show a video package to the team of the new rules before Game 1. This includes a coach’s ability to challenge a puck over the glass. Evason likes the change: “You’re just like, why in the last couple of years, clearly all coaches are going how come we can’t challenge that? We should be able to because it’s so fast. It happens so quick.” While they can challenge, they better be right. A wrong challenge results in a full two-minute 5-on-3 against.
- Ivan Provorov is entering the final year of his current contract. He admitted it’s in the back of his mind especially with new leadership in place. “I think trying to come in with the (best) approach, control what I can control and go out there and try to do my best with every opportunity I get.”
- Provorov believes he can benefit from what Evason is bringing to the team. “So far, it’s been great. The first three days of camp have been tough practices but I think we’ve touched on a lot of things. I think it’s been hard and smart. Those first three days have been really good.”
- Provorov says that Drake is “especially looking forward to the season.” His toy count is in a very good place these days.
- Sunday is scrimmage day at camp. It will take place at 12:15 P.M. at the Ice Haus. The team will hold a practice in the morning before that. Tim Horton’s will provide food to those who attend. The first 1,000 fans will get a T-shirt. Admission is free. Then come Monday, the preseason will start with a game against the Buffalo Sabres.