90 days until the season opener

Elvis Merzlikins knows he needs to bounce back

There are 90 days until the season opener, and who better to talk about than Elvis Merzlikins.

Elvis Merzlikins knows he must be better, he’s talked about it, we’ve talked about it here, everyone has talked about it. In 2023 Elvis Merzlikins must be about it.

Merzlikins came to North America in 2019, after spending the previous 10 years playing for the various of divisions of HC Lugano in Switzerland. His final season for HC Lugano saw him play in 43 games, going 22-18 with five shutouts. He had a GAA of 2.44 and a save % of .921.

He came to the Columbus with a lot of fanfare. He was being touted by the CBJ as the next great Blue Jacket goalie, both on and off the ice. His personality was that of a fun loving, life enjoying Latvian who wore his heart on his sleeve, and he didn’t disappoint. When he landed in Columbus and started doing interviews, you could tell he was ready for some NHL action.

Sergei Bobrovsky bolted in the off-season to South Florida, so the CBJ were going to have Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins as a tandem, fans were excited. Elvis played in 33 games his rookie season going 13-9-8. He had five shutouts, posted a GAA of 2.35 and had a save % of .923. Joonas Korpisalo had a good year as well, so well that the CBJ were able to make the play-in for the 2020 NHL playoffs. They knocked Toronto out and lost to Tampa. After losing all the fire power they did in the off-season to free agency, I don’t think anyone was disappointed after that season.

The shortened 2020-21 season Merzlikins had a good season, numbers wise. He has a 2.77 GAA and a save % of .916, not bad for having a record of 8-12-5. That season the Jackets just flat out couldn’t score goals.

In 2021, the young Latvian lost his fellow countryman, teammate, and best friend, Matiss Kivlenieks. Just a few months later, Elvis was expected to let all that go, and play hockey. We have no idea what was going on in Merzlikins head, but I can’t imagine what he was thinking when he took the ice for the first time on opening night. It as an emotional night for him, his teammates, and the fans. 2021-22 was not a good year for him on the ice either. He played in 59 games, had a record of 27-23-7, a GAA of 3.22 and a save % of .907. Now while his offense scored an abundance of goals, the defense just wasn’t there for him, and the CBJ gave up a club record number of goals that season.

2022-23 was another tough year for him on the ice. Suffering though a multitude of injuries, and rough play, he had a record of 7-18-2, a GAA of 3.57 and a save % of .876. He made the decision after the season to stay in the U.S. and work on himself and his game. He would train in Columbus in the off-season.

Back in May, he posted an emotional Instagram video. Merzlikins got a tattoo of The Joker on his feet. Significant because Matiss Kivlenieks often had The Joker painted on his helmets. The caption read “I’m letting you go brother. You were one of my best friends but now it’s time to live and love my life. Love you”. It appears Merzlikins is trying to move on with his life, by no means disrespecting Kivlenieks, but as to say he’ll always be with him and that he accepts that Kivi isn’t coming back.

Elvis was also at the draft watch party a few weeks ago, signing autographs and chatting with fans. He appeared happy and engaged. He did a short interview with local News reporter Clay Hall at the watch party. In the interview he acknowledged that the last few years were not good and that he would get better. For this team to take the next step, he must make that happen.

Everyone is rooting for Elvis Merzlikins to bounce back and play like his did in the first two seasons he was in Columbus. Many people think he will based on everything he is doing off the ice, hoping that will transfer over to the ice. We’ll know in a few short months how that will play out. The Jackets front office took some steps to protect their goalies this next season by bringing in a few veteran defensemen to help a blue line that has struggled with play and injuries.

With those moves, and an offense that looks to be able to score a lot of goals when healthy, we could be in for a fun season at Nationwide Arena. October can’t come soon enough.