The Columbus Blue Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a five-year, $27 million contract extension. He still has one year left in his two-year, $8 million contract signed in 2020, making him a signed player until 2027. The new contract carries a $5.54 million AAV starting in the 2022-23 season and has a 10-team no-trade clause.
Five more years of Elvis 🕺⬇️
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 21, 2021
Elvis Merzlikins Signs Extension With Columbus
Merzlikins had an 8-12-5 record in the 2020-21 season, with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Throughout his two-year NHL career, the 27-year-old has posted a 21-21-13 record with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. He has seven shutouts in 61 NHL career games and is currently tied for fourth in the NHL in save percentage.
The Latvian native was selected by the Blue Jackets with the 76th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. During the 2020-21 season, he led the Columbus goaltenders in goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts. Merzlikins shared the net with teammate Joonas Korpisalo.
This is a special moment for Merzlikins. On August 23, the goaltender and his wife welcomed their first child. The boy was named after Columbus’ goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who passed away in July.
Welcome to the family, Knox Matiss Merzlikins 😍
Congratulations to @Merzly30 and @am_merzlikins on the birth of their baby boy! 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/ISO4KK1uVu
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) August 23, 2021
What This Means For The Future
Merzlikins is an important piece for the team, especially after losing Pierre-Luc Dubois and Seth Jones in the previous season. Having him signed long-term is a good thing for Columbus, which now has a reliable goaltender to help their team get back on track. Columbus’ general manager, Jarmo Kekalainen, is likely pleased to have Merzlikins locked up for five more years.
“Goaltending is a position of strength for our team. Elvis Merzlikins has been an important part of that over the past two seasons so we are very excited to have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in Columbus for at least the next six years,” said Kekalainen in the press release. “He is big, athletic, and has a tremendous passion for the game. We believe he will be an integral part of our success in the coming years.”
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