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Merzlikins bristles at questions about Columbus Blue Jackets' goalie competition
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- Merzlikins bristles at questions about Columbus Blue Jackets' goalie competition
Those wondering how Elvis Merzlikins will handle the internal competition provided by Jet Greaves this season got an answer after the Blue Jackets ' first on-ice day of training camp.
Sort of.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets open 2025-26 training camp: 5 storylines
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After saying multiple times that his goal is to form a strong goaltending tandem with Greaves, a 24-year-old who is expected to play his first full NHL season , Merzlikins bristled Sept. 18 at Nationwide Arena when asked if he felt the top role still belonged to him.
"I'm not worried about Jet," Merzlikins said.
Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins celebrates following a shootout against the Canucks.
Merzlikins, 31, is still searching for consistency heading into his seventh NHL season. He's on the fourth year of a five-year contract that pays $5.4 million per season and has battled multiple injuries, frustrating slumps and occasionally the fallout of his own verbal explosions.
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But Merzlikins is also bound for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy as Latvia's top goalie and has shown flashes of elite skill for the Blue Jackets.
At his best, Merzlikins can provide a goaltending highlight reel by himself. When he's not, well, it can get ugly. That's why Greaves, who's done nothing but impress during 21 NHL appearances over the past three years, is seen as a challenger to the throne.
The current king, however, doesn't sound ready to yield that seat.
"Like I said before, I'm not putting that focus on," Merzlikins said. "I'm just trying to play, practice after practice, game after game, and we'll see what's going to happen. But I don't feel any danger or anything. ... We're going to try to go out together and try to win the games here, No. 1 (goalie) or not."
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Ending his commentary there would have sufficed, but Merzlikins wasn't thrilled with the line of questioning on the first day of camp. (He was also asked what it would take to earn the top job.) So, he fired back.
"Now, I'm going to have question to you," he said. "Is Jet going to handle 60 games in this season ... with 50, 60 games, you think Jet is going to handle all of that right away from (his) first year?"
It came across like a slam on Greaves, who has played 50-plus games between the AHL and NHL each of the past two years, but Merzlikins quickly provided context. He noted that an 82-game NHL campaign can be a physical and mental grind, especially for young goalies, and he's learned from experience that a lot can happen during the course of a full season.
"I'm just telling you, it's hard," Merzlikins said. "When I had the first chance to play a lot of games, after the season, I sat down and trust me, it was, 'I'm tired.' It was a lot. There are unpredictable injuries (always) coming up. Groin. Hips. Head. Neck. We are goalies. We are getting pucks shot in the neck, elbows and clavicle. It hurts, and you have to go and play anyways, and that's the hard part."
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Greaves was not the target of Merzlikins' bristling rebuttal, at least not outright, but that's how it initially landed. Merzlikins' annoyance instead was tied to the questions about competing for the top spot, calling it "inappropriate" for the first day of camp.
"That's not, now, the main focus ... if I'm going to be No. 1 or not," Merzlikins said. "That decision is not going to be up to me. It's going to be up to the coaches. Obviously, I'm going to have to accept any decision they make, but right now, on the first day, asking me if I feel danger or something, if I'm not going to be No. 1 ... We haven't played any games yet. We had just one practice."
Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins waves to fans following a win over the Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on March 1.
Many more are ahead, along with a full slate of 82 games following seven preseason tilts. The marathon is just starting for the Blue Jackets and their goalies, and an internal competition might ultimately be what's best for the team.
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Merzlikins went through it before while splitting the net with Joonas Korpisalo , so it's not a foreign concept.
"I think that's the best thing that can happen," Merzlikins said. "I'm gonna push (Greaves). He's gonna push me. ... Yes, we are winning the games together, but obviously there's one net. I think on every single hockey team, there's competition between goalies. Then it just depends on if you have the chemistry or if you don't. Me and 'Jetty,' we have ... in my opinion, we have amazing chemistry. So, I'm excited to start the season."
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Merzlikins bristles about Columbus Blue Jackets goalie competition
