The Columbus Blue Jackets have locked up their starting goaltender, signing Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year, $27MM contract extension. The deal kicks in for the 2022-23 season and runs through 2026-27, carrying a $5.4MM cap hit. Previously, both Merzlikins and tandem mate Joonas Korpisalo were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the upcoming season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the full contract details:
- 2022-23: $5.25MM
- 2023-24: $6.0MM
- 2024-25: $6.0MM
- 2025-26: $5.525MM
- 2026-27: $4.225MM
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a statement on the deal:
Goaltending is a position of strength for our team and Elvis Merzlikins has been an important part of that over the past two seasons so we are very excited to have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in Columbus for at least the next six years. He is big, athletic and has a tremendous passion for the game and we believe he will be an integral part of our success in the coming years.
Merzlikins, 27, certainly hasn’t taken the usual path to stardom in the NHL, but he nevertheless is well on his way to establishing himself as one. Selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, the Latvian netminder was playing as a teenager in Switzerland. He would remain there for another five seasons, putting up outstanding numbers while routinely suiting up for his country internationally. Time and again he would stand out as the best player on the Latvian side, keeping them in games where they were vastly outmatched and posting numbers like his .940 save percentage at the 2018 tournament.
In 2019, at the end of the 2018-19 season, he finally decided to sign with the Blue Jackets and start his North American career. He would end up playing just two games in the minor leagues, quickly showing that he was more than ready for the NHL. In that rookie season, he posted a .923 save percentage in 33 appearances, good enough to finish fifth in both Calder and Vezina Trophy voting.
Last season, those numbers dropped a bit, but Merzlikins was still able to register a .916 on a struggling Columbus team. His partner, Korpisalo, finished with an .894 and likely lost the race to be the Blue Jackets’ long-term goaltending option. This new contract all but confirms that, though obviously the 27-year-old Korpisalo could also be retained at a lower price to secure the position.
While he has played the smaller half of the games the last two seasons, Merzlikins should be expected to take the lion’s share this year if he can stay healthy. In fact, just a few weeks ago he told reporters that he wants to play as much as he can, even hoping to win the Vezina as a tribute to his close friend Matiss Kivlenieks, another Blue Jackets goaltender who tragically passed away earlier this summer at age 24. Merzlikins credits Kivlenieks for saving his and his pregnant wife’s life, who were standing 20 feet away when a fireworks mortar struck the young netminder.
Merzlikins, the new father–his son, Knox Matiss Merzlikins was born on August 20–is now locked up long-term in Columbus and carries the 12th highest cap hit among NHL goaltenders. That rank is likely to go down as more contracts are signed, but the Blue Jackets have put their faith in him as their starter for the next several years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Bit of risk but I think he’s shown enough to take this gamble.
Good numbers on a bad team last year
Elvis is in the building!!
A team like the Oilers should be all over Korpisalo. Trade what it takes to get him and have the Jackets take back Koskinen.
@FWJBT That was rumored in July. The Oilers asked about Korpisalo and the Jackets wanted Koskinen, Samorukov, and a 1st according to Seravelli. Considering both goalies are in the final year of their contracts and have similar numbers in recent seasons its a non-starter from the Oilers.
Personally they should’ve done it. Bougaurt might be a player sure, Samorukov is sounding legit but that’s all speculation. Get out from Mikko “I don’t know how to use my glove” Koskinen and get a good young starter. Korpi had a bad year but he’s young and was the Jackets goalie of the future until Elvis popped in.
Korpisalo hasn’t had been a better goalie than Koskinen. His GAA has always been higher. He is arguably of equal value to Koskinen without contracts taken into account. And his stats come on a defense first team under Tortorella so they are skewed a bit. Under no circumstance should they have given up Samorukov and a 1st in next seasons entry draft for 1.7M in savings.
Koskinen’s numbers are worse but not by much. They both had 1 good season. Koskinen is 33. He’s only going down. Korpi is going to figure it out. He’s only 27 he’s got good pedigree.Columbus sucks. I’m thinking Korpisalo will have a good season next year and Koskinen will be not good as usual. I could be wrong but a pick and a prospect to swap at least for the hope of a starting goalie I’d be ok with that.
@Backhand, Perhaps you want to look at the stats again. The past 3 years Koskinen has had a better sv% in all 3 years and a better gaa in 2 of the 3. Korpisalo’s upside may be greater than Koskinen’s, but not to the tune of a top prospect and a 1st.
Korpisalo isn’t Hasek or anything, but he’s an above average goalie with some upside.
Don’t care about numbers in this case, I’ve seen each of them play. Koskinen is a bum.
The Oilers have ZERO chance, none, of winning the Cup with their current tandem.
So, this is where people fail to factor in opportunity cost…is Korpisalo worth a 1st? No. Is he worth a 1st if they take Koskinen back? I’d say so, but even if you don’t agree…
What is it worth to give McDavid and Co. a chance instead of having them spin their wheels on another futile season?
Never assume a goalie is “going to figure it out”. Consistency in a goalie is extremely rare. Looking at them Panthers as a prime example.
Smith was supposed to be over the hill last year, that was clearly incorrect.
The position is the biggest gamble in the game.
100% support that Vezina bid. Would be a great story.