We are just around the corner from the final game of the 2023-24 season for the Columbus Blue Jackets. There’s been a lot of drama this season from the Mike Babcock debacle to the yo-yoing of David Jiricek between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL), the firing of Jarmo Kekelainen, and the trade request by starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins. We’ll linger on Merzlikins for this piece.
While it’s a bit murky if a trade request was ever actually issued or if it was all just a miscommunication that was lost in translation, the tension between Merzlikins and management still became a national story. While he believes he is capable of being a starting goalie in the NHL, his numbers simply don’t support that. To be frank, the fit between player and team hasn’t looked great over the past couple of seasons and the Blue Jackets should consider a buyout because a breakup might be best for both the team and Merzlikins.