Columbus Blue Jackets Dysfunction: Who's To Blame For Elvis Merzlikins Wanting Out Of Columbus? What's Next?
Elvis Merzlikins has a huge personality, and in sports, it can rub people the wrong way, or the right way. Personally, I love it. But for many fans of various sports, it can be frowned upon, especially in a low-key city like Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Blue Jacket fans are split 50/50 on Merzlikins. Some love that he's outspoken and vibrant, some wish he'd just "shut up and play." I've never liked the whole "shut up and play" opinion, but that's just me.
For a couple of days last week, Merzlikins refused to talk to the media. He was angry, and rightfully so, that he hadn't played in a few weeks, and was being relegated as a "fill-in", in a three-goalie system implemented by the CBJ front office. He wants to be the #1 goalie and so far this year, he has been.
And then he spoke.
Merzlikins told the media that he hadn't requested a trade, but that his agent and the team had agreed to find a "new scenario" for the 29-year-old goalie. He was understandably upset and this left fans wondering what was next.
Yesterday, Merzlikins went out and beat the best team in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout. He was extremely excited and emotional when the final horn went off. Some even say that when he skated away from his crease, pumped his arms, and lifted his leg, he looked directly at the Blue Jackets suite where GM Jarmo Kekalainen sits. That's up for debate.
After the game, he gave two interviews, one with Bally Sports, and one in the locker room, and both were interesting. But the locker room interview is what made the news.
Merzlkins said, “After my last interview that everyone knows I requested for trade, everyone was still here playing for me and they’re playing for me and blocking the shots for me and this is awesome. I really appreciate them. It was a really easy game for me.” Click here to listen to the interview.
Who's To Blame?
The Columbus front office has been silent during all of this, instead leaving HC Pascal Vincent to answer the questions. When the media asked Vincent about Merzlikins comments about finding a "new scenario" he responded with "That's above my paygrade." Now while I won't disagree with Vincent on that, he shouldn't have had to make that comment. The front office is who chose to go with three goalies, it's up to Vincent to decide who plays when, or is it?
Are the Blue Jackets to blame for this Merzlikins situation? Elvis is playing much better than he did last year, that's for sure. His numbers are right around his career average, he's playing much calmer in the net and seems to be his old self. The issue is the team is not playing well in front of him. His defense constantly hangs him out to dry or makes bad plays that directly put him in no-win situations.
Is it possible they gave up on him last season and were just waiting for Tarasov to come back healthy? It sure does look like it. The Jackets signed him to a 5-year deal with an AAV of $5.4 million in which he's in year two. Why do that if you knew Tarasov was your guy? I was told three years ago that Tarasov, according to the front office, was their goalie of the future. If they knew this, why did they sign Merzlikins to such a lengthy contract with so much AAV?
This isn't the only misstep the front office has made since the end of last season as we all know.
Does Elvis Merzlikins need to shoulder some blame for this situation? Merzlikins has been through a lot during his young NHL career, including the tragic loss of his best friend Matiss Kivlenieks. On the ice the last few years, he didn't play well, that's no secret. He'll be the first to tell you that he hasn't played well, and that's on him.
What's Next?
Now we wait for the other shoe to drop on this Merzlikins situation. GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who has been on the hot seat according to fans and some media for a while now, has to figure this out. Trading him won't be easy, especially with that contract. The Jackets will most likely need to retain a couple million to make it work, and it's possible it won't get done until the off-season. The Jackets won't get a lot back either, if anything. Ideally, it needs to happen soon because something like this doesn't need to fester in the locker room. But most likely you'll be seeing his "new scenario" take shape over the summer, or better yet at the trade deadline.
Where is ownership is all of this? Where is the front office? Fans have continued to show up to NWA regardless of their record and all of the losses, and I can tell you from speaking to fans in recent days, that the sellouts will stop soon if they don't either: 1. Start winning or 2. Stop being dysfunctional. The latter of which can only stop when the owners have had enough of the dysfunction.
Scott Maxwell of The Daily Faceoff recently said in an article about the Blue Jackets, "They are close, but they’re just also misguided." This is the perfect description of this team right now from ownership down.
Next Up: The Blue Jackets welcome the New Jersey Devils into Nationwide Arena on Friday.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.