Merzlikins plans on award winning season to honour friend and teammate
Speaking with The Athletic on Tuesday, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins let it be known that he has high expectations this season, though the reasoning isn't for himself.
«I don't want to make any promises, but I can tell you my plan is to win the Vezina Trophy,» Merzlikins said. «I'm gonna win a ...Vezina for him. We can't make promises because this is hockey and we don't know how the season can go, but this is my goal. I believe I'm going to reach it.»
Merzlikins is referring to his former teammate Matiss Kivlenieks, who tragically passed away earlier this offseason at the age of 24. It has become evident since the passing that the two were very close, and now Merzlikins has his sights on being the best goalie in the 2021-22 season in order to win the Vezina.
Merzlikins, 27, had an up and done 2020-21 season which saw him miss some time due to injury. In 28 games played he posted a 2.77 goals against average along with a .916 save percentage and an 8-12-5 record. His intentions here are certainly good, but winning a Vezina playing behind a team that is likely to struggle in the Blue Jackets this season will be an extremely tough task.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 22 | 18 | 4 | - | 36 | |
Devils | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 31 | |
Wild | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 30 | |
Golden Knights | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 30 | |
Capitals | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 29 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 20 | 13 | 7 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||