Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins clarified remarks he made last week, confirming that he has indeed requested a trade, and remains hopeful he’ll be dealt ahead of the March 8th trade deadline.
“After my last interview, everybody knows I requested for trade,” he said. “Everyone was still here, playing for me and blocking the shots for me. This was awesome. I really appreciate. It wasn’t an easy game for me, and they made me feel easier. They let me feel that puck better and easier and I appreciate for that help.”
A healthy scratch in 3 straight games, and 4 of the team’s last 5 contests, Merzlikins has clearly fallen out of favour with Columbus head coach Pascal Vincent. Daniil Tarasov and Spencer Martin have seen the bulk of the starts in the Blue Jackets crease as the 5 year pro has struggled to find consistency in 2023-24.
Currently sporting an 8-8-6 record with a 3.22 GAA and .906 SV%, the 29 year old is likely to see his wish come to fruition over the next several weeks. Columbus sits last in the Metropolitan Division with a 14-21-9 record, as the club has gone 3-4-3 over their last 10 contests.
While Merzlikins has yet to publicly indicate the source of his discontent, reports out of Columbus indicate that he and Vincent haven’t been on good terms since late December. The Blue Jackets coach said he didn’t speak with his goaltender specifically about his playing time, but confirmed that the Latvian net minder would start on Monday night.
“He knew he was going into the net,” Vincent said Monday. “He’s not a young guy, so he knew what he had to do. So, I didn’t have a conversation per se…I’m really happy for him. He played well. He worked hard in practices. He played a real good game.”
The former 3rd round pick from the 2014 NHL Entry Draft stopped 27 of 30 shots en route to a 4-3 shootout victory over the red hot Vancouver Canucks.
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