The words "goaltending" and "Columbus Blue Jackets" don't inspire a ton of hope around the city, and to be honest, they never have. 

There have been a few bright spots in net during the 24-year history, however. Elvis Merzļikins, Joonas Korpisalo, and Steve Mason are the obvious ones, with two-time Cup winner Sergei Bobrovsky being the gold standard for not just Blue Jacket goalies, but goalies around the league. 

So, who are the Blue Jackets running with in the net in 25-26? The easy answer is Merzļikins and Greaves since they're both under contract and expected to be healthy. 

Let's take a look at the Present and the Future of CBJ Goaltending. 

The Present

Elvis Merzļikins - Contract Status: 2 Years at $5,400,000 - Despite the reports from the previous season, Elvis was a model teammate and friend for a grieving Blue Jackets locker room. He also had stretches of really great play for the CBJ this past season. 

Elvis had his best season since the 2021-22 season, when he won 27 (26) games and had a GAA of 3.18 (3.22). His .892% SV% slipped a little, but the team was able to outscore its problems last season. He also remained relatively healthy last season, except for the concussion near the end of the season. In the past, he'd miss games throughout the season due to illness, but that didn't seem to happen in 24-25. 

Many people expected Don Waddell to somehow trade Elvis this offseason. Don't worry, though, there's plenty of time left to do that should he explore that option. They chose not to buy him out, probably because it wouldn't have fixed the situation in terms of the goalies. Remember this, though: there are 14 teams with more than $10 million left in cap space. 

Elvis is two wins away from tying Steve Mason for second all-time on the CBJ goalie win list. 

Jet Greaves - Contract Status: 1 Year at $812,500 - One Way - The Jet Greaves era has officially started. Greaves will need to pass through waivers to be sent down to the AHL starting this upcoming season, and I guess that he'd never make it, so Jet is here to stay.

Greaves finished the season very strong by winning five straight games, securing two shutouts, and posting a SV% of .938 for the season. He also had a good year in Cleveland and is widely considered the best goalie in Monsters history as he leads the franchise in wins, TOI, and saves. 

Zach Sawchenko - Contract Status: 1 Year at 775K - Sawchenko will bring experience to an otherwise inexperienced goalie group in Cleveland. Backing up Greaves last year, he went 10-11-5-1 with a SV% of .900. He will be leaned on heavily to mentor the young goalie Nolan Lalonde and whoever else they decide to bring in to guard the Monsters' net.   

Sawchenko could be a goalie the Jackets look to keep around for a few more years, but would he entertain that is the question?

The Future

Nolan Lalonde - Contract Status: 2 Years at $785,556 - Lalonde turned 21 this past February and completed his fourth season in Junior, so he should be turning pro. He signed his ELC and can step right into the AHL. Lalonde is tall and athletic, but his stats weren't all that great. He never posted a season with a SV% over .900, and his GAA was never below 3.16. 

He will need to step up his game if he wants to compete for an AHL job. My guess is that he will be shuffled back and forth from the ECHL to the AHL, much like Pavel Čajan did the last couple of seasons. 

Evan Gardner - Contract Status: ELC Signed - Gardner won't be 20 until January, so he'll be returning to Junior this season, which will be his third in Junior. In his two seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, he's posted a SV% of .927 and .911, respectively. He also went 44-18-5 with a 10-5-3 playoff record. Scouts love him for both his brains and his athleticism. 

Melvin Strahl - Contract Status: Unsigned - Strahl will be headed to Michigan State to play this season after spending a season in the USHL with Youngstown, where he went 33-12-1 with a SV% of .903. 

Sergei Ivanov - Contract Status: Unsigned - Ivanov will play again in the KHL this upcoming season, but rumors have floated around that this may be his last before coming to North America. Both Blue Jackets fans and Monsters fans are hoping he will be able to come to North America soon to get his NHL career started. 

Pyotr Andreyanov - Contract Status: Unsigned - Andreyanov was drafted in the 1st round of this year's draft, and many people we're wondering why. The easy answer is that the Jackets didn't have a second or third-round pick, so why not go and get the guy you like early? Well, that's exactly what Don Waddell did. They saw him at a camp in Florida and just had to have him. 

Andreyanov will be in Russia for at least 4-5 years, so plan on keeping tabs on him through YouTube and other various outlets. 

How do you feel about the future of goaltending in Columbus? Should Don Waddell look at trading for someone this season, or wait until the end of 25-26 and go after someone else?

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