Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins’ future has been in doubt for quite a while, and now there’s another piece to the complicated puzzle.
Earlier this week, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reported that the 32-year-old goaltender had listed his home in New Albany, Ohio for sale. The 6,026 square foot, 5 bedroom home was built in 2021 and features a pool, hot tub, tanning section, custom bar, oversized sauna and much more according to the listing on Redfin.
Merzlikins is in the final year of his current contract with the Blue Jackets which carries an average annual value of $5.4 million and has a modified no-trade clause.
Goaltender of the Future to Backup
Throughout Merzlikins’ career, he’s played many roles for the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. Originally joining the team as the 76th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, he remained in the Swiss National League with HC Lugano for another half of a decade. He was dominant at that level and when he represented Latvia in international competitions. As a result, hype began to build around him and expectations for his long-term potential continued to grow.
Merzlikins was given an opportunity to thrive in the NHL right of the gate, joining the Blue Jackets ahead of the 2019-20 season, right after the departure of long-term superstar Sergei Bobrovsky who signed a costly contract with the Florida Panthers in the summer of 2019.
In his first two seasons, Merzlikins seemed like a legitimate starting goaltender at the NHL level. He posted a .923 save percentage in his rookie season then followed it up with a .916 in his sophomore campaign. While there was a slight drop in effectiveness, it seemed like he was playing as advertised. As a result, the Blue Jackets rewarded him with a sizeable 5-year, $27 million contract.
From there though, things quickly fell down hill for Merzlikins. After posting a .907 save percentage in the 2021-22 season, he dropped below .900 during the 2022-23 season and spent four straight seasons below that threshold. As a result, he lost his starting job to Jet Greaves in recent years.
Uncertain Future
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Merzlikins had to have shoulder surgery due to an injury suffered during summer training. “Elvis informed us a few weeks ago that he was experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder during his offseason workouts,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said in a statement issued by the organization in August. “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.”
Given the fact that his house has now been put up for sale, he’s lost his starting job in Columbus, and an unknown timeline surrounding his injury, it seems that we may have in fact seen the last of Elvis Merzlikins playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Of course, the season has yet to officially start, so there’s always a chance that he makes a return to close out the season.
Long-Time Columbus Blue Jackets Goaltender Lists House For Sale