Elvis Merzlikins

Elvis Merzlikins

28-Year-Old GoalieG
Columbus Blue Jackets
2022 Fantasy Outlook
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. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a five-year, $27 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets in September of 2021.
Rejoins team Wednesday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
March 22, 2023
Merzlikins (personal) was back with the club Wednesday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Merzlikins was away from the team for personal reasons but has returned from his native Latvia. With the netminder back at practice, he should be in line to start either Friday or Saturday against the Islanders or Canadiens, respectively. The Jackets sent Daniil Tarasov back to the minors, which means Merzlikins figures to split the back-to-back with Michael Hutchinson.
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2022 NHL Game Log
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2021 NHL Game Log
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2020 NHL Game Log
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2019 NHL Game Log
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2018 NHL Game Log
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2022–23 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    52:31
Blue Jackets Depth Chart
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Elvis Merzlikins See More
DraftKings NHL: Saturday Breakdown
11 days ago
Chris Morgan is looking to build his Saturday DraftKings lineups around the Lightning's second line, which gets a great matchup against the struggling Blackhawks.
Hutch's Hockey: Trade Deadline Recap
16 days ago
Shawn Hutchinson gives one last round of trade breakdowns and pivots to the fantasy stretch run with some waiver-wire moves.
Yahoo DFS Hockey: Sunday Picks
24 days ago
Chris Morgan is recommending a couple marquee Preds against the Coyotes.
DraftKings NHL: Sunday Breakdown
31 days ago
Chris Morgan’s Sunday picks start with Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck against the Devils.
FanDuel NHL: Sunday Targets
31 days ago
If you're looking to save salary and still get some offensive upside, Michael Finewax suggests stacking Arizona's top line against Columbus.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
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
Leaves for Latvia
GColumbus Blue Jackets
Personal
March 10, 2023
Merzlikins (personal) is on his way to Latvia to be with family Friday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Leaves start after first period
GColumbus Blue Jackets
Illness
March 7, 2023
Merzlikins (illness) exited Tuesday's game versus the Penguins after the first period, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Starting in Pittsburgh
GColumbus Blue Jackets
March 7, 2023
Merzlikins will patrol the road crease against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
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Pulled in loss
GColumbus Blue Jackets
March 4, 2023
Merzlikins stopped 19 of 23 shots in the Blue Jackets' 5-2 loss to the Senators on Saturday.
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Starting again Saturday
GColumbus Blue Jackets
March 4, 2023
Merzlikins will guard the road goal Saturday against Ottawa, Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch reports.
ANALYSIS
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