Elvis Merzlikins

Elvis Merzlikins

31-Year-Old GoalieG
Columbus Blue Jackets
2025 Fantasy Outlook
In a vacuum, Merzlikins' 2024-25 numbers -- a 26-21-5 record, a 3.18 GAA and a .892 save percentage -- were nothing all that impressive. In context, however, he looks much better as a goalie who had the Blue Jackets in the playoff race right up to the final week of the season. Merzlikins is under contract for this year and next, so it's fair to assume he'll be part of the NHL roster in 2025-26. The bigger question is at the backup position, as a strong finish to the year from Jet Greaves. Merzlikins' track record as a starter is not great, though the Blue Jackets have been rebuilding for much of his NHL career. Still, expecting a breakout in his age-31 season is probably asking too much. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a five-year, $27 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets in September of 2021.
Starting Saturday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
October 3, 2025
Merzlikins will patrol the visiting cease in Washington on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Merzlikins is in a battle for the No. 1 job with the Blue Jackets, as Jet Greaves has been pushing the Russian veteran all training camp. Merzlikins made 53 regular-season appearances for Columbus last season, going 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and an .892 save percentage.
Read More News
NHL Stats
Loading Goalie Stats...
2025 NHL Game Log
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2025 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2024 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2023 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2022 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2021 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2020 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2019 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2018 NHL Game Log
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Goalie Game Log...
2025–26 Time On Ice Stats
Blue Jackets Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Elvis Merzlikins See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Elvis Merzlikins See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Merzlikins had quite a season in 2023-24. Some nights, he was unbeatable - others, bad doesn't describe how poorly he played. In between, there was a media storm from a so-called trade request and public rifts with upper management. All while playing behind a horrendous team. Merzlikins has never been the goalie he was in his rookie season. His play has declined almost every season, and in 2023-24, he went 13-17-8 with a 3.45 GAA and .897 save percentage. The leash on Merzlikins will be short this season, if he's not traded before camp. It'll be tough to move a declining asset with three more years on a $5.4 million AAV deal. Daniil Tarasov will push to be the starter, and that will further stress the situation. Stay away on draft day, but pop some corn and watch the show from afar.
Merzlikins had a rough 2022-23 campaign, posting a 7-18-2 record, a 4.23 GAA and an .876 save percentage in 30 games. Still, given the Blue Jackets' alternatives in goal -- Daniil Tarasov and Jet Greaves -- Merzlikins is going into the season with a fresh opportunity to be Columbus' starter. The Blue Jackets were a disaster defensively last season and perhaps new head coach Mike Babcock can help with that, which would in turn make Merzlikins' job a little easier. The squad also hired Niklas Backstrom to serve as the new goaltending coach, so Merzlikins will get to work with someone who should have a fresh perspective on his struggles and the possible solutions. Any goaltender has the potential to be a pleasant surprise, but the most likely scenario is still that Merzlikins will finish 2023-24 with a GAA above 3.00 and a save percentage below .900.
The Blue Jackets had no choice but to give Merzlikins the lion's share of the playing time a year ago. He finished with 59 appearances, including 16 of their final 17 regular season games. The overall numbers - 27-23-7 record, 3.22 GAA, .907 save percentage -- were in line with what was to be expected from a goalie playing behind a mediocre club. The team added the best free agent on the market this summer in Johnny Gaudreau to help their offense, while also inking Erik Gudbranson to provide some veteran support on defense. Merzlikins should be well ahead of Joonas Korpisalo on the depth chart, so there's some sneaky fantasy potential here if Columbus can improve as a team in 2022-23.
Merzilkins' numbers predictably suffered as the Blue Jackets as a team regressed considerably in the 2020-21 campaign. His GAA ballooned from 2.35 to 2.77 and his save percentage dropped from .923 to .916. Merzlikins also missed time with injuries on multiple occasions. Both Merzlikins and platoon mate Joonas Korpisalo had poor seasons and are scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer. Columbus seems likely to give both playing time until one man separates himself from the other. That makes Merzlikins a fringe fantasy option due to the fact Columbus is expected to once again be a middling team.
For about six weeks last season, Merzlikins not only looked like the Blue Jackets' goalie of the future, he looked like the next Dominik Hasek. The 26-year-old posted a 1.51 GAA and .953 save percentage with 12 wins and five shutouts over a 15-appearance stretch from late December to mid-February, but a concussion suffered during a collision with Ottawa's Anthony Duclair ended his extraordinary run. While he wasn't sidelined for long, he wasn't able to recapture that magic upon his return, ceding the starting job back to Joonas Korpisalo in the process. Korpisalo's own outstanding play down the stretch and in the playoffs gives Columbus two goalies with strong claims to the No. 1 job, and the result could be a timeshare to begin the season, or coach John Tortorella could decide to ride the hot hand. Merzlikins has the size, skills and athleticism to thrive but his daredevil instincts could result in a roller coaster performance, and Torts might prefer the steadier hand in Korpisalo. It is, however, hard to ignore the elite upside Elvis has already flashed in his brief NHL career.
A third round pick in the 2014 draft, Merzlikins has been honing his skills over the last few years with Swiss powerhouse Lugano, but Sergei Bobrovsky's departure opens the door for the Latvian to jump right to the NHL without any minor-league seasoning. Merzlikins is a classic butterfly goalie with size and athleticism, and if he can temper his natural aggression enough to keep his angles, he's got the potential to be Bobrovsky's successor. Joonas Korpisalo is likely to open the season as the No. 1 in net for Columbus due to his experience, but if Merzlikins adapts quickly, he could well steal the job sometime this winter.
More Fantasy News
Will start Saturday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
September 26, 2025
Merzlikins will be between the pipes on the road against the Penguins on Saturday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Tending twine Monday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
September 22, 2025
Merzlikins will be between the home pipes for Monday's exhibition game versus the Sabres, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Ready to rock for camp
GColumbus Blue Jackets
September 17, 2025
Merzlikins (concussion) is not listed with an injury on the Blue Jackets' training camp roster released Wednesday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Not available for Thursday's game
GColumbus Blue Jackets
Upper Body
April 16, 2025
Head coach Dean Evason said that Merzlikins (upper body) skated Wednesday but won't be available for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Islanders, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Not available Tuesday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
Upper Body
April 15, 2025
Merzlikins (upper body) will not be an option for Tuesday's divisional matchup in Philadelphia, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Manning starter's crease
GColumbus Blue Jackets
October 7, 2025
Merzlikins was in the starter's crease at Tuesday's practice session, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.
ANALYSIS
Merzlikins hasn't been officially confirmed as the Opening Night starter against the Predators on Thursday, but this is certainly a strong indicator he will get the nod. While the 31-year-old netminder played in 53 regular-season games last year, he may not see that much work in 2025-26 due to the emergence of Jet Greaves, who will be looking to steal starts throughout the year.
See All NHL Rumors