The Columbus Blue Jackets will be down a goaltender for an undisclosed amount of time. It's not clear how long. Doctors completed Elvis Merzlikins' surgery on Monday, according to team officials.
Merzlikins, 32, seemed like the future in net for the Jackets early in his career. Following four straight seasons of a sub-.900 save percentage (two of which were under .890), it's not clear how much more Merzlikins has to offer the Blue Jackets.
It will place a little extra pressure on their core of young stars, especially as they continue to navigate tricky waters with Zach Werenski.
Surgery on a goalie can be frightening, but it was at least successful, according to GM Don Waddell.
"Elvis informed us a few weeks ago that he was experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder during his offseason workouts. Following an MRI, it was determined that surgery was the best course of action. He'll be evaluated again in a few weeks at which time we'll have a clearer idea on when he will be back on the ice."
Waddell's statement on Elvis Merzlikins' surgery is unclear. Still, the few breadcrumbs there make it seem like Merzlikins may not be ready to skate in time for training camp, which opens next month on September 16. NHL preseason hockey begins on September 19. The Jackets will open their preseason schedule on September 21.
It's always worth taking any comments from GM's with a grain of salt. If taken at face value, it seems like this was not a lingering issue. That potentially would have been useful to know if Merzlikins had been playing through something. While league-wide save percentage is down, Merzlikins' numbers have cratered. He stopped shots at a .913 clip in his first three seasons over 120 games. Merzlikins struggled mightily since then. As a result, he's had four seasons of well-below-average play. Merzlikins is 60-67-18 with an .889 save percentage and a 3.48 goals-against average. Last season, he ranked 82nd out of 98 goalies in MoneyPuck's Goals Saved Above Expected stat.
Elvis Merzlikins' surgery creates an opportunity for another goalie to potentially do what he couldn't in backing up Jet Greaves.
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Elvis Merzlikins' surgery means the Blue Jackets will likely need to ask more from freshly signed starter Jet Greaves. The 25-year-old Canadian netminder burst onto the scene last season, finishing 26-19-9 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. Conversely, Greaves finished ninth of 98 netminders in MoneyPuck's Goals Saved Above Expected metric. Greaves might need to play a little more early in the season. If this is short-lived, that might not be a big ask.
There are two primary concerns due to Elvis Merzlikins' surgery. If backup Phoenix Copley labors behind Greaves and the recovery timeline lingers, that could cause too much of a workload for Greaves. That's particularly noteworthy in an 84-game season. Concurrently, more teams than ever seem to be at least considering a three-goalie tandem.
Where things could get really messy is if Greaves' tremendous first season was just a flash in the pan. Certainly, he looked like a potential star in the making for Columbus (and for the Canadian international side). The larger a sample gets on a goalie, the harder it is to remain consistent in the NHL. That's particularly true at a time when shooters are making goalies work harder than ever despite taking fewer shots.
The Jackets can remain calm. There's no panic over a backup goaltender getting hurt. Plus, it sounds like Elvis Merzlikins' surgery went well, meaning he should rejoin the team within a reasonable amount of time.
Particularly, they can avoid panic since it's one who has struggled. Still, the season really is fast approaching, and the first stress test is already on the horizon.
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