Merzlikins comes to terms on lucrative contract extension with Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to have made a decision on their future in goal with Tuesday's announcement that they have locked up Latvian netminder Elvis Merzlikins on a multi-year deal.
Merzlikins, 27, signed a 5-year, $27M deal with the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, which carries a $5.4M AAV - slightly less than Igor Shesterkin signed for in New York ($5.66M AAV) earlier this offseason. Merzlikins' new deal will come into effect in 2022-23. He has one year remaining on his current deal, which carries a $4M cap hit.
A native of Riga, Latvia, Merzlikins has yet to establish himself as a bonafide number one goaltender in the National Hockey League, carrying a large workload - but his career stats are very encouraging.
In 61 career starts during his first two NHL seasons, Merzlikins boasts a respectable 2.54 GAA to go along with a .920 SV% and a 21-21-13 record on a very pedestrian Columbus Blue Jackets team.
Merzlikins was a 3rd-round draft pick of the Blue Jackets (76th overall) back in 2014.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Logan Cooley | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack McBain | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Guenther | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Kesselring | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Fraser Minten | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mikhail Sergachev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Chris Tanev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Tavares | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Simon Benoit | - | - | - | |
| Nick Bjugstad | - | - | - | |
| Michael Carcone | - | - | - | |
| Ian Cole | - | - | - | |
| Lawson Crouse | - | - | - | |
| Connor Dewar | - | - | - | |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | - | - | - | |
| Barrett Hayton | - | - | - | |
| Pontus Holmberg | - | - | - | |
| Clayton Keller | - | - | - | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||