The Columbus Blue Jackets are the perfect combination of disastrous on and off the ice.
The one thing they aren't is boring. And that's all since the John Tortorella era ended.
From the unmitigated disaster surrounding Mike Babcock's quick tenure as Blue Jackets head coach before the season and ultimately hiring three coaches in two years to the struggles on the ice this season, even after boldly adding Ivan Provorov and agreeing to a trade-and-sign with Damon Severson, what else can go wrong for the team?
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins hasn't taken kindly to serving as the No. 2 backup on the bench since before the new year. Although he didn't request a trade outright, at least publicly, the embattled goalie is in the second year of a five-year contract and seems ready for a new "scenario." The team might be ready for that, too.
#CBJ G Elvis Merzlikins spoke to media today about his status with Columbus. He says he loves Columbus and his teammates but says a new scenario for him has been discussed by both sides. pic.twitter.com/dmFhRMrpg3
— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) January 12, 2024
The story was among the national focal points for Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
Columbus plays the Vancouver Canucks today, and Merzlikins will get the start. How will he look after not appearing in a game since Dec. 29? His last start was cut short following one period after leaving the eventual overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to an illness.
Daniil Tarasov has gotten the bulk of starts since, including the last four straight, and Spencer Martin made one start.
It's not an ideal situation having three goalies on the roster, as Daniel Dukart wrote last month, and according to the Blue Jackets, they wanted to see Tarasov for developmental purposes since they believe he could be a No. 1.
Vincent says Tarasov is getting starts over Merzlikins for evaluation and development purposes, because they think he can be a No. 1.
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) January 11, 2024
As for Elvis, hes not happy about not playing, understandably. He declined interview requests today.
May speak tomorrow.#CBJ
Could the Blue Jackets seek a possible trade of Merzlikins while seeing whether Tarasov can handle the load as part of a goaltender tandem?
Is it Tarasov that could instead be moved?
Tarasov, just 24 years old, has shown promise in limited action through 27 career starts but has dealt with numerous injuries over the last few seasons.
Statistically, one of the worst goaltenders a season ago, Merzlikins has played better this season, going 7-8-6 with a .907 save percentage and 3.52 goals against average. But can he be counted on?
Through his Blue Jackets tenure, Merzlikins has dealt with injuries and illness and had a dust-up in the net with Tom Wilson moments before the Washington Capitals won in overtime on the resulting power play on Dec. 21. Head coach Pascal Vincent didn't mince words about how Merzlikins lost his cool following that loss.
#CBJ HC Pascal Vincent on the roughing penalty Elvis Merzlikins took on Tom Wilson in overtime: "That incident cost us. We have to control our emotions there." https://t.co/SvJIY2YKvT
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) December 22, 2023
If a contender were to take a chance on Merzlikins via trade, they'd have to take on the final three years of his contract with a $5.4 million cap hit. A new situation could be what Merzlikins and the Jackets need, but can he take the reigns and all that comes with being the No. 1 for a Stanley Cup contender?
The Athletic's Aaron Portzline had many interesting things to say on the Merzlikins front.
The Blue Jackets have wanted Merzlikins to embrace all aspects of being a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL — the consistently high level of play, of course, but also being a reliable and steadying influence in the dressing room.
Nobody will speak publicly about this issue, but multiple sources have told The Athletic — not just this year, but over the last few years — that Merzlikins is a source of frustration for some players in the room. They’re not sure he’s ever going to embrace the franchise goaltender’s role entirely.
As I said on Dec. 18, with changes needed, can you let Jarmo Kekalainen make decisions that affect this team before the trade deadline?
Even if the public message concerning the goaltenders is true, and it's all to see how Tarasov responds with the string of starts for the sake of development, could the team not have gone about things better? Differently?
Because of the Blue Jackets' young and talented prospects core, boosted by Adam Fantilli, who is second in the league among rookies with 25 points, one can point to how bright the future appears.
However, since parting with Tortorella after the 2020-21 season, who guided the team to four postseason berths in parts of six seasons, it feels like the team has gotten in its way more often than not as they try to build the next — some would say the first — real winner.
For a team toiling toward the bottom of the league standings at 28th overall, the Blue Jackets keep things interesting. More often, for all the wrong reasons.
