Who needs to step it up in 23-24?
One word to describe the 2022-23 edition of the Columbus Blue Jackets: Disaster!
There were many factors that went into the season being a disaster, but injuries were definitely at the top of the list. No, the team didn’t have 10 all-stars, and were not expected to complete with Carolina or New York, but none of us expected to be in the running for Connor Bedard.
After a flurry of action by the CBJ front office to solidify a fractured defense, the team is expected to improve. Couple that with the expected hires of Mike Babcock as head coach and Niklas Backstrom as the goaltending coach, we could see a complete 180. Will we though is a different story.
Going into the 2023-24 season, they will still have stars likes Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski. As well as the young kids Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko and Cole Sillinger. All of which are expected to perform, but what players, if any, are on the hot seat? Who must step up or be risked being shipped off?
An easy target is Emil Bemstrom, who’s untimely goal against Pittsburgh late in the season cemented the Blue Jackets fate of not securing Connor Bedard. Bemstrom seems to have tremendous offensive talent, but for whatever reason can’t seem to put it together at the NHL level. In the 19-20 season, he scored 10 goals and had 10 assists, not bad for his first shot at North American hockey, but since then he hasn’t replicated that. His fans will point out that he only played 20 games in 20-21, 41 in 21-22, and 55 last season. Those same fans will also show you how, when playing for the AHL Cleveland Monsters last season, he played in 21 games, and had 31 points, 14 of those points being goals. Yes, he can tear the AHL up, but what about the NHL? Bemstrom has one year left on his contract and then will be RFA, will that be it for him? This is a make-or-break year for Emil Bemstrom. He needs to put-up double-digit goal totals. His seat is very hot.
Next up, Eric Robinson. A fan favorite for sure. Eric plays hard, skates fast and knows his role on the ice. Robinson is going in the final year of a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.6m. He will be UFA meaning he’s free to explore free agency.
Robinson needs to have a third good year in a row. In 21-22 he scored 10 goals and had 27 points. Last season, he scored 12 goals and had 24 points. He has been playing well the last two seasons, and if he plays well again this year, a contract year, he could secure a nice raise, whether it be in Columbus or elsewhere. So why is his seat hot? Expectations. Everyone has always compared him to Josh Anderson, calling him Josh Anderson 2.0. Fair or not, that’s the comparison. And as of now, he hasn’t really shown that he’s in that Josh Anderson category.
And finally, the elephant in the room. The player who is sitting on the hottest of hot seats is CBJ goaltender Elvis Merlikins. It’s no secret how he’s played the couple seasons, so there’s no need to rehash that part. So why is he on the hot seat? His Salary. I won’t put the blame on his salary on Merzlikins obviously, that’s not his fault, but with that salary comes lofty expectations.
Elvis is currently making $5.4m a season, thru the 26-27 season. That currently ranks 11th on the list of goalie salaries. Of the 10 goalies ahead of him in salary, only two of them have won a Stanley Cup, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jordan Binnington. His partner Daniil Tarasov is signed thru 24-25, and then will be RFA, and in my opinion, once healthy, Tarasov will push Elvis in a healthy way. So, for Elvis, it will be time to perform. There’s not much the CBJ front office can do with Elvis and his contract, however as the salary cap continues to rise, his cap% will continue to fall. It currently sits at 6.5%.
Of the players that I think are on the hot seat, obviously Elvis Merzlikins is the most important one. How will he do coming off a forgettable season?