Since Sergei Bobrovsky bolted Ohio for sunny Florida, the Columbus Blue Jackets have struggled to find consistency with their goaltending position. It's been bad, like, really bad.
The only consistent thing about the goalies has been Elvis Merzļikins, and that's been a hot topic on its own, and a different discussion.
When Jet Greaves was re-signed a few years ago, we knew he would be with the Blue Jackets full-time for the 25-26 season. With the way he finished the 24-25 season, by winning out and notching two shutouts, everyone was looking forward to what he could do this season.
What most people wanted was for Jet and Elvis to push each other to play well together. But more importantly, people wanted the pair to be great teammates for each other. So far, so good.
The two goalies have played extremely well so far this season. If we're being honest, they have played far better than anyone expected, especially Elvis. Many expected Elvis to be some terrible teammate who was mad about splitting starts, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Let's take a look at some simple stats for each goalie so far.
Elvis Merzļikins
- 4-2 Record - 6 Starts - .917 SV% (6th in NHL) - 2.98 GAA (30th in NHL)
- Goals Saved Above Expected - 6.0 - 9th in NHL
Jet Greaves
- 3-3 Record - 6 Starts - .916 SV% (10th in NHL) - 2.67 GAA (20th in NHL)
- Goals Saved Above Expected - 7.7 - 5th in NHL
In the past 6 seasons, the CBJ's SV% has been among the league's lowest.
- 2019-20 - .913 - Joonas Korpisalo and a young Elvis helped take the team to the playoffs.
- 2020-21 - .902 - Decent numbers during the COVID-shortened season.
- 2021-22 - .900 - The defense started to falter, bringing down their numbers.
- 2022-23 - .889 - With major injuries and bad goaltending, they hit a low point.
- 2023-24 - .894 - Well below league average, they turned into a lottery team.
- 2024-25 - .900 - Much better last year despite the bad play of Daniil Tarasov. Jet Greaves coming and putting up great numbers helped bring their SV% up.
Thie GAA has also been really low.
- 2019-20 - 2.61 - Elite for John Tortorella
- 2020-21 - 3.29 - With coaching changes and roster turnover, the downfall began.
- 2021-22 - 3.62 - Tons of injuries and defensive letdowns.
- 2022-23 - 4.01 - Improved a little, and also had a decent PK.
- 2023-24 - 3.45 - More improvements.
- 2024-25 - 3.26 - Elvis was much better last season and they inserted Jet, which helped.
As you can see, wildly inconsistent. But this year has been different. The Jackets' goalies are playing well, but the defense is also playing well, which is something they haven't done in the last few years either.
Can the Columbus Blue Jackets' pair of Elvis and Jet keep it up all year? If so, they have a great shot at making the playoffs; if not, well, it's going to be another long offseason for the CBJ. All people wanted was for Elvis Merzļikins to play like he did during his first season in Columbus, where he put up a .923 SV%, 2.35 GAA, and had 5 shutouts. Since that season in 19-20, Elvis has only managed a total of 6 shutouts after he had 5 in his rookie year.
We all know that Elvis has been through a lot since he came to North America, from losing his best friend Matīss Kivlenieks in 2021 to losing their superstar teammate Johnny Gaudreau in 2024. He's a very emotional person and player as well, as we all know. Personally, I like fiery players to an extent. I also think that with Jet's calm, cool demeanor, they complement each other very well.
The players in front of these goalies know them and how each likes to play, so it's on the defense to understand each goalie's tendencies and habits. If they can do that, this team can take major steps forward this year and contend for a playoff spot.
The CBJ have one of the best goalie tandems so far in this young season. Can they keep it up?
What's Next: They head out to Western Canada to take on the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, Nov. 5th, the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Nov. 8th, and then the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, Nov. 10th. They will wrap up their Western swing with a matchup against the Seattle Kraken.
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