The trade last weekend that sent young goaltender Ivan Fedotov from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Columbus Blue Jackets is intriguing on many fronts.
For the Blue Jackets, this move could well be the precursor to the trading of veteran netminder Elvis Merzlikins to any team prepared to take at least half of Merzlikins’ $5.4-million salary off their hands.
The 28-year-old Fedotov has a $3.275-million salary, but he’s only under contract for this year, so he’s a short-term gamble that could pay off if he puts in stronger numbers than he has in his first one-and-a-half NHL seasons.
Playing behind a poor defense corps in Philly didn’t help Fedotov’s individual numbers, including an .880 save percentage and 3.15 goals-against average in 26 appearances last season. But he has only 29 NHL career games played, so Columbus is clearly hopeful Fedotov will put in a better effort with the Blue Jackets.
That said, the bigger impact of the Fedotov acquisition concerns veteran No. 1 Jackets netminder Merzlikins.
In the last three seasons, Merzlikins has gotten the most starts on the squad, and his best numbers during that time are an .897 save percentage in 2023-24 and a 3.18 goals-against average in 2024-25.
Given that Fedotov and 24-year-old teammate Jet Greaves are younger than the 31-year-old Merzlikins, there's a path forward that doesn’t include Merzlikins. With three capable NHL goalies, the Blue Jackets can now move ahead knowing they have goaltending insurance, but more importantly, they have Merzlikins to peddle on the trade market and free up at least half of his bloated $5.4-million salary.
Now, you might say it will be hard to trade Merzlikins, and at his current cap hit, you’d probably be right.
But let’s say the Jackets knocked off nearly half of Merzlikins’ salary by retaining $2 million of it. Suddenly, you’re looking at a $3.4-million goalie who had strong showings in his first three years with Columbus. A change of scenery, with a more manageable workload on a team with a stronger defensive talent, could lead to far better numbers. And if that doesn’t happen, Merzlikins is only signed through 2026-27. If he’s a total washout with a new team this coming season, the final year of Merzlikins’ salary could be bought out.
Thus, a team acquiring Merzlikins from Columbus could have less risk than first glance may suggest.
Blue Jackets' Acquisition Of Fedotov Ignites Goalie Battle In Training Camp
Today, the Columbus Blue Jackets <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets/latest-news/report-blue-jackets-trading-for-ivan-fedotov">acquired Ivan Fedotov</a> from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2026 sixth round pick.
The Blue Jackets have all their retention spots available, and spending one on Merzlikins makes a lot of sense – even more so if they can acquire assets other than the cap space that would be freed up in any Merzlikins deal. That may be possible if there are teams that stumble out of the gate and are in desperate need of netminding help.
Besides, this wouldn’t be the first time a goalie has overcome their struggles by changing teams. Retired goalie Devan Dubnyk struggled in his last season with the Edmonton Oilers, but he went on to post great performances as a member of the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild.
In the era of Petr Mrazek, even veteran NHL goalies with a few years of disappointing numbers bounce to another team and get another opportunity. As long as the Jackets eat some of Merzlikins’ salary, some team is going to take a chance on him. So we do think there's a good chance of Waddell getting the most out of Merzlikins as an asset and moving him to a new team, even if it means retaining salary this year and next year.
Now, with Fedotov on board, Waddell has got enough goaltending depth to do it.
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