Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-3, 190 lbs |
| Birthplace: Riga, Latvia |
| Age: 32 |
| Experience: 7 |
| Shoots: Left |
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1:21Highlights: Canadiens at Maple Leafs (9/29)
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1:20Maple Leafs Trade For Kirill Marchenko In Blockbuster Deal
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1:26What to Make of the 2026 NHL Free Agent Class
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1:01Pete Blackburn's Notable Restricted Free Agents
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0:48Oilers Hire Mike Babcock as Head Coach
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8:04How Tortorella's Departure Impact The NHL Coaching Carousel
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1:12Is The Kings Opening The Least Desiring Of The 3 Current Jobs?
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1:27Alex Ovechkin 'Pretty Sure' He Will Play Again
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0:48Highlights: Blue Jackets at Devils (12/1)
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0:27Highlights: Blue Jackets at Red Wings (11/22)
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Top Elvis Merzlikins News
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Maple Leafs' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to miss 4-6 months
Merzlikins is expected to miss 4-6 months to begin the 2026-27 regular season while recovering from a shoulder injury, per Luke Fox of Sportsnet.
Less than 24 hours after Merzlikins was traded to the Maple Leafs, a timetable for his return to action has been provided. The 32-year-old backstop had an up and down season in 2025-26, where he posted a 14-11-3 record, a 3.39 GAA and an .883 save percentage across 30 regular-season outings. He won't be rushed into action, as the Leafs new goaltender tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz are still expected to handle the majority of reps between the pipes this upcoming season. However, when Merzlikins is ready to return, he's the clear No. 3 option in Toronto's organization and could still see some playing time at the NHL level if he isn't sent down to AHL Toronto.
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Maple Leafs' Elvis Merzlikins: Shipped to Toronto
Merzlikins (shoulder), Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood were traded to the Maple Leafs from the Blue Jackets on Monday in exchange for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and a second-round pick, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
It's not yet clear when Merzlikins will be ready to make his 2026-27 debut after he underwent shoulder surgery in late August. The 32-year-old is entering the final season of his five-year, $27 million contract, and the Blue Jackets will retain 18 percent of his salary as part of Monday's deal. Merzlikins made 30 regular-season appearances for Columbus last year and went 14-11-3 with a 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage. Once he's healthy, he'll likely compete for playing time with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Placed on non-roster injured reserve
Merzlikins (shoulder) was placed on non-roster injured reserve by the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Merzlikins underwent shoulder surgery in late August and failed his physical at the start of training camp. He's considered out indefinitely, so it isn't particularly surprising that he's been placed on non-roster injured reserve ahead of Opening Night. Jet Greaves should serve as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 netminder this year, while Cam Talbot will likely be the team's backup until Merzlikins is able to return.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Remains out indefinitely
Merzlikins (shoulder) failed his physical, and there's still no timetable for his return, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers on Wednesday.
Merzlikins is recovering from shoulder surgery. While general manager Don Waddell didn't offer a timetable, he did specify that "you're not going to see him in the near future, that's for sure." In other words, it's fair to consider the netminder out indefinitely. Merzlikins had a 14-11-3 record, 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage over 30 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. After signing with the Blue Jackets on Monday, Cam Talbot is projected to serve as the backup goaltender to Jet Greaves until Merzlikins is available.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Undergoes shoulder surgery
Merzlikins underwent successful shoulder surgery Monday and doesn't yet have a timetable to return.
Merzlikins recently informed the team that he experienced some shoulder discomfort during offseason workouts, and an MRI revealed that surgery was the best way to proceed. The Blue Jackets plan to evaluate the netminder again in a few weeks, but it's not yet clear when he'll be able to resume on-ice activities or return to game action. If Merzlikins is unavailable to begin the regular season, Jet Greaves should see plenty of opportunities as the team's primary goalie, while Pheonix Copley would presumably serve as the No. 2 option in net. Merzlikins made 30 regular-season appearances for the Blue Jackets last year, going 14-11-3 with a 3.39 GAA and .883 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Familiar approach in loss
Merzlikins made 16 saves in a 5-1 loss to Carolina on Thursday.
It was Merzlikins' second consecutive loss, and he's now 3-3-2 in nine appearances since the Olympic break. He has allowed five goals twice in that span and four goals in another game. The 31-year-old has occasionally entered a timeshare with Jet Greaves in the crease this year, but Merzlikins has been the clear No. 2 netminder in recent weeks and has been difficult to rely on for fantasy purposes.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Starting against Carolina
Merzlikins will start Thursday's road game against Carolina, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins will defend the crease for the third time in the Blue Jackets' last 11 games Thursday. Across seven appearances in March, he went 3-1-2 with a 2.90 GAA and .882 save percentage. He'll face a tough test against the Hurricanes, who rank fourth in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Fades late in loss
Merzlikins made 33 saves in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.
Columbus took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Merzlikins gave up a power-play tally to Macklin Celebrini less than a minute into the final frame before Igor Chernyshov slapped home a one-timer with 85 seconds left for the winner. Merzlikins has had an up-and-down March, going 3-1-2 over seven outings with a 2.90 GAA and .882 save percentage as he falls firmly behind Jet Greaves on the Blue Jackets' depth chart.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Set to face San Jose
Merzlikins is set to start at home against San Jose on Saturday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins stopped 15 of 17 shots in a 5-2 win over Seattle in his most recent start last Saturday. He has a 14-9-3 record, 3.35 GAA and .885 save percentage in 28 outings in 2025-26. San Jose has lost its past six games (0-5-1) to drop to 32-31-7 on the season. The Sharks have also managed just five goals over their past four games.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Cruises to win Saturday
Merzlikins stopped 15 of 17 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Kraken.
Merzlikins was beaten late in the first period by Vince Dunn and midway through the second by Kaapo Kakko, but he cruised the rest of the way and didn't have a lot of work overall. The 31-year-old Merzlikins made his first appearance since March 12 and has won two of his last three starts. He remains the No. 2 option behind Jet Greaves, but Merzlikins has allowed only two in each of his last three appearances and could offer solid value down the stretch.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Patrolling home paint Saturday
Merzlikins will start in Saturday's home clash against the Kraken, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
Merzlikins will get his chance to bounce back after falling in overtime during his last appearance March 12. Overall, the 31-year-old netminder has a 13-9-3 record, a 3.40 GAA and an .885 save percentage across 27 appearances this season. The Kraken have lost each of their last two games. With a red-hot Blue Jackets' lineup in front of him, Merzlikins holds solid fantasy value for Saturday's start.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Can't steal win in south Florida
Merzlikins stopped 19 shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Panthers.
The Blue Jackets grabbed a 1-0 lead past the midway point of the second period on an Adam Fantilli tally, but Merzlikins couldn't make it stick as Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart scored on power plays in the third period and OT. Merzlikins has turned things around over the last couple months while working behind a stingier Columbus blue line, going 7-2-2 in his last 12 outings with a 2.54 GAA and .898 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Between pipes Thursday
Merzlikins will patrol the visiting crease in Florida on Thursday, according to Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Merzlikins will make his second straight start after stopping 16 shots in a 5-2 win in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Merzlikins is 13-9-2 with a 3.47 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 26 appearances this season. The Panthers are 19th in NHL scoring, averaging 2.98 goals per contest.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Extinguishes Lightning on Tuesday
Merzlikins made 16 saves in a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He put up an assist.
Merzlikins was sharp all night. He had no chance on the first goal, which was a sharp tip over his left shoulder. The second came through a screen off a point shot. Merzlikins and Jet Greaves have been pretty much alternating starts since the end of January. If that pattern continues, Greaves will see time against Florida on Thursday, and Merzlikins will be in net Saturday. Wait for the official update Thursday before setting your daily roster.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Defending crease Tuesday
Merzlikins will start Tuesday's road matchup against Tampa Bay, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins will get the second half of the Blue Jackets' back-to-back after Jet Greaves played in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a 12-9-2 record this campaign with one shutout, a 3.53 GAA and an .884 save percentage through 25 appearances. Tampa Bay ranks fourth in the league with 3.53 goals per game this season.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Subpar showing in OT loss
Merzlikins stopped 18 of 23 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Mammoth.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Merzlikins has been subpar since the regular season resumed following the Olympic break. The 31-year-old netminder has made four appearances, going 1-1-1 with a 3.79 GAA and an .850 save percentage over that span. Perhaps more worrying is the fact that he's posted a save percentage below .880 in each of his three starts over that span. The Blue Jackets will take on the Kings on Monday before starting a three-game road trip between March 10 and March 14.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: In goal Saturday
Merzlikins will patrol the home crease against Utah on Saturday, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Merzlikins has posted a 12-9-1 record this season with one shutout, a 3.47 GAA and an .887 save percentage through 24 appearances. Utah is tied for 14th in the league with 3.16 goals per game during the 2025-26 campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Needed briefly in relief Tuesday
Merzlikins turned aside both shots he faced during a brief relief appearance in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Predators.
Jet Greaves left the game midway through the first period to get checked for a concussion and missed a little over eight minutes, with Merzlikins holding down the fort in the meantime. Both netminders have put up impressive numbers lately, as they work in a timeshare. Over his last nine outings, Merzlikins has gone 6-2-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .911 save percentage.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Nearly squanders lead Monday
Merzlikins made 29 saves in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.
The Blue Jackets seemed to have the game well in hand when they took a 4-0 lead into the second intermission, but Merzlikins not only lost his shutout just 30 seconds into the third frame, he nearly lost the game entirely as the Rangers fired 17 shots his way as part of a furious comeback effort. Kirill Marchenko was able to beat Igor Shesterkin in OT to salvage the win for the visitors, however. Merzlikins has won four of his last five as he maintains a timeshare with Jet Greaves, posting a 2.40 GAA and .906 save percentage over that stretch.
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Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Defending road crease Monday
Merzlikins will start Monday's road game against the Rangers, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Over eight appearances since the start of the calendar year, Merzlikins has gone 5-3-0 with a 2.44 GAA and .909 save percentage. He'll make his second start since the Olympic break during Monday's matchup and will face a favorable opponent, as the Rangers are scoring just 2.59 goals per game this year, which is the sixth-worst mark in the league.
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