Blue Jackets goaltender requests trade

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzļikins told the media after Monday’s game that he has requested a trade away from the team. Monday marks the first game that Merzļikins has played since Dec. 29 — spending the last six games as either a backup or healthy scratch. He made 21 saves en route to a 4-3 shootout victory.

Merzļikins has become the third goaltender on Columbus’ depth chart, with Daniil Tarasovand Spencer Martin both receiving starts over Merzļikins. The Blue Jackets haven’t proven any more successful with the goalie changes, going 1-3-2 in the games Merzļikins sat out. It’s led Columbus to a dismal 13-21-9 start to the season, a record that ranks them 28th in the NHL.

This trade request could mark the end of what has been a heartwarming story for Merzļikins in Columbus. The 29-year-old became just the third Latvian goaltender to be drafted into the NHL when the Blue Jackets took him in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft — the same round that saw Warren Foegele, Ilya Sorokin, and Brayden Point selected. Of the two Latvians to be selected before Merzļikins, only one had played significant NHL time: 568-game veteran Artūrs Irbe. Merzļikins, who has played in 173 games since his NHL debut in 2019-20, now ranks second in games played among Latvian netminders behind only Irbe — surpassing undrafted netminder Pēteris Skudra, the only other to play in more than 100 games.

Columbus has allowed more goals than any team other than the San Jose Sharks this season — but despite it, Merzļikins has still found a way to have a productive year, setting an 8-8-6 record and .906 save percentage through 24 games. He’s back to maintaining a save percentage over .900, a feat he managed in each of his first three seasons but lost with a .876 save percentage in 30 games last year. Merzļikins’ rebound back to form sets him up to be an attractive trade option for teams in need of goaltending help but without the assets to acquire a top name like John Gibson or Jacob Markstrom. But any recipient would need to have cap space, as Merzlikins carries a $5.4M cap hit over the next four seasons, making him the 11th-most expensive goaltender in the league. There’s also the question of what Columbus would want in return for a goaltender who has become the fifth-most frequent in club history. Regardless, this move brings an exciting spark to the looming March 8 trade deadline.