The more things have changed with the Blue Jackets ' goaltending situation, the more they've stayed the same.
Midway through the season, Daniil Tarasov is getting an audition to see if he can take the full-time No.1 role from Elvis Merzlikins , but the same questions that surrounded the Jackets in September remain unanswered. Who's going to be "the man" to finally replace what Sergei Bobrovsky provided? Will there be a tandem approach with the backup? Who will the backup ultimately be?
"We are looking to evaluate Daniil," coach Pascal Vincent said. "(Merzlikins) hasn't played. I know it's a big question, but Daniil hasn't played in quite some time. We want to see what he's got. We want to evaluate him, and we believe he has the potential to be a No. 1, but that's just what we believe. He has to prove it, and that's what we're doing right now. Simple as that."
The Blue Jackets are also, officially, irritating Merzlikins.
He has three years left on a contract with a $5.4 million salary-cap charge , is a full participant in practices since leaving a start Dec. 29 due to illness and didn't dress in four of the Jackets' five games after leaving his start. He's mostly been sitting out as a healthy scratch behind Tarasov and Spencer Martin .
Merzlikins is expected to speak about it Friday, after declining interview requests Thursday, but his feelings aren't a secret.
"He's not happy," Vincent said. "He wants to play. He's a hockey player. If I was in his shoes, I would be the same (way). I'd like to play hockey. Elvis has been a good goalie for us, but we need to evaluate Daniil. You look at our team, where we are in the standings, it's the right time to do it. If we were fighting for a playoff spot, that might be different. But right now, it is where we're at."
Merzlikins was supposed to be the answer to the Blue Jackets' goaltending situation after Bobrovsky's departure in 2019 via free agency.
He and former Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo split the net during Merzlikins' rookie season (2019-20) and neither seized full control. Both had runs of great success and each missed time with injuries. Merzlikins showed flashes of the superstar he'd become in Switzerland prior to his NHL career, but consistency was missing.
A lot has happened since.
Korpisalo is no longer in Columbus after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings last season and signing with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent. Merzlikins, meanwhile, is coming off the worst statistical season of his career during the first year of a contract that forced Korpisalo's exit .
He was also forced to deal with the trauma of losing friend Matiss Kivlenieks , a Blue Jackets rookie goalie, in a fireworks tragedy that occurred July 4, 2021 at former goaltending coach Manny Legace's home in Novi, Michigan. Going into the second year of his contract, Merzlikins rededicated himself last offseason through multiple training methods intended to help him regain top form.
He regularly "tortured" himself by learning to meditate while seated in a backyard tub filled with ice cold water. He hired a new personal trainer. He continued consulting with a mental skills coach, aiming to let goals roll off his back better and not carry frustrations with him too long.
The work he put in hasn't panned out exactly the way he'd hoped, but Merzlikins has performed much better than last season. He's 7-8-6 in 23 appearances with a 3.25 goals-against average and .907 save percentage despite playing for a team that routinely puts all of its goalies into difficult situations.
Merzlikins, however, hasn't done himself many favors with management, coaches or teammates.
He dismissed the notion that new goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom had done anything to improve his form , which came off badly the season after Legace — whom Merzlikins is close with — was fired. He's battled multiple illnesses , off and on, the past two years, including two that drove him from the net during starts this season and another that caused a three-game stint on injured reserve .
Merzlikins also flipped out Dec. 21 in overtime against the Washington Capitals , trapping pestilent forward Tom Wilson in the Blue Jackets' net and attacking him after making a key save to keep the game going. Merzlikins roughed Wilson up enough to draw blood, support from Blue Jackets fans who don't like Wilson plus a penalty that gave the Capitals a power play and the win on a shot by Alex Ovechkin .
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was spotted angrily leaving the team's locker room as reporters were allowed inside to speak with Merzlikins, who wasn't exactly apologetic for his actions. Vincent also laid blame at Merzlikins' feet for the loss, saying he needed to control his emotions better.
Now, he's getting benched on a regular basis.
Vincent said Merzlikins' lack of opportunity the past five games has nothing to do with the Wilson incident, which was dealt with at the time it happened, but it's strange for a young team dealing with key injuries to sit a goaltender who statistically provides the best option to win.
"It's not something you'll see very often," Vincent said. "But in order for him to stay sharp, he needs to have workdays (in practices), basically."
A couple interesting tidbits arose from Vincent's explanation for why Merzlikins isn't playing much.
One was hearing him admit that it's not realistic to chase the playoffs this season. The Jackets' early nine-game winless skid took them out of competition for the postseason in November, but he declined to talk in those terms until recently.
Another eyebrow raising comment from Vincent was his statement that he doesn't consider Tarasov, 24, a "young" player, which is why he's getting the opportunity now to play like he's the Jackets' top goalie.
The Blue Jackets also have talented young skaters whom Vincent is trying to shield from getting too many high-leverage situations, but his concerns about confidence don't apply to Tarasov ― whom the Blue Jackets selected 86th overall (third round) in 2017. Tarasov has made just 28 NHL appearances, including 26 starts, over parts of three seasons.
"No, for Daniil, it's different," Vincent said. "I don't see him as a young player. He's been around for quite some time, and he hasn't played a whole lot (due to injuries). We want to see what he's got."
How much longer will the Blue Jackets continue to roll with three NHL goalies ?
That's become one of their most pressing questions with roughly half a season left. All three have contracts that require the Blue Jackets to place them on waivers before an assignment to the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League can happen.
Given the dearth of solid goaltending in the NHL due mainly to salary cap issues, it's believed that both Tarasov and Martin would be claimed if they're made available during the league's 24-hour waivers window. Merzlikins might pass through waivers based on his annual cap charge, but the Blue Jackets probably don't want to risk losing him for nothing.
So, they're sticking with three goalies until they feel a decision must be made to go with two, and that decision could include Monsters goalie Jet Greaves , an AHL all-star . Tarasov has an extensive injury history, which makes Martin and his one-year deal worth $762,500 a golden ticket insurance policy for the remainder of this season, should the Blue Jackets keep him around.
As for Merzlikins, it's possible that a "change of scenery" trade is something the Blue Jackets are currently seeking. The $5.4 million cap hit plus remaining term (three years) and Merzlikins' reputation as an emotionally charged netminder could all combine to make a willing trade partner near impossible to find.
The Blue Jackets would likely be forced to eat a large chunk of his salary plus sweeten the pot with a prospect or draft pick just to find a taker, which Kekalainen hasn't shown a willingness to do much during his NHL trade history. Selling Merzlikins as a potential No. 1 for somebody else, in a land far, far away, is likely the best way of boosting his trade market.
Vincent got started with the pitch Thursday, whether he intended to or not.
"He's got the potential, yes," Vincent said. "Last year was a tough year for everyone, Elvis included. Everyone. But this year, he's showing good signs of the potential that he has. Do I see him at No.1 in the NHL? Yes, he can be."
Even in Columbus?
"Anywhere," Vincent said. "We're looking to evaluate everyone here. It can be here. Hopefully, we make the right decisions. We want the best players. We want the right people and only time will tell."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets sitting Merzlikins to give Tarasov No. 1 audition
