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Elvis Merzlikins

Minor Transactions: 11/27/19

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The vast majority of the NHL is taking part in the action tonight, as 26 teams suit up in a busy Wednesday evening. That schedule includes some top-tier matchups like the Florida Panthers-Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers-Colorado Avalanche. As teams prepare for what should be an excellent night of hockey, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • As expected, the Columbus Blue Jackets have flipped backup goaltenders once again, sending Matiss Kivlenieks to the minor leagues and recalling Elvis Merzlikins. Merzlikins got into some game action last night for the Cleveland Monsters, stopping 28 of 29 shots.
  • Christian Folin has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint in order to get him a chance to play in a game for the first time in more than a month. The 28-year old has played in just five games for the Montreal Canadiens this season, none since the middle of October.
  • The Ottawa Senators have recalled Marcus Hogberg from the AHL, as Craig Anderson missed practice today. Hogberg is expected to serve as the backup for Anders Nilsson tonight when the Senators take on the Boston Bruins.

Minor Transactions: 11/26/19

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After an exciting night that brought us four overtime finishes, the NHL is much quieter tonight with just three games on the schedule. That does however include an old rivalry game when the Boston Bruins travel to face the Montreal Canadiens. Not only do these teams have a long history of hating each other, they’re both currently in Atlantic Division playoff spots and know tonight’s two points are very important. As they and other teams prepare, we’ll track all the minor moves.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have flipped backup goaltenders, sending Elvis Merzlikins to the minor leagues while recalling Matiss Kivlenieks. The team completed a similar move earlier this month in order to give Merzliklins some extra work in the minor leagues. Kivlenieks is still waiting on his first NHL action.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have sent Sven Baertschi back to the minor leagues, only to recall Nikolay Goldobin. The 24-year old Goldobin has 20 points in 18 games for the Utica Comets after spending all of last season with the Canucks.

Metropolitan Notes: Merzlikins, Letang, Kreider, Koivula

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After a rocky debut, rookie goaltender Elvis Merzlikins looked to have settled in as a solid option in net for the Columbus Blue Jackets and head coach John Tortorella. However, the 25-year-old netminder made a costly mistake late in Saturday night’s game that cost the team a much-needed victory.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Merzlikins played a puck and cleared it out through the middle of the ice to no player in particular. The puck was immediately picked off by Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp, who fired it right back at the goal and gave the Jets a 4-3 victory.

After the game, Tortorella immediately told the press that if anyone asked a question about his goalie, he would immediately walk out. However, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) suggests that a demotion to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL is unlikely. The team has another back-to-back next week, which means Merzlikins isn’t likely to go anywhere as this was a judgement mistake, not a lack of experience mistake.

  • TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins may be close to getting Kris Letang back in their lineup. The veteran blueliner, who has been out with an undisclosed injury since Nov. 4, returned to practice on Sunday and participated in the full practice in a full-contact jersey, which might suggest he’s closer to ready than most thought. Head coach Mike Sullivan said he’s hopeful that Letang will be available on Monday at home against Calgary, who had Letang practicing with the first power-play unit today. “His practice today was very encouraging,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’ll see how he responds overnight but my sense is he’ll be a game-time decision (Monday).”
  • Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports that there will be no supplementary discipline against the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider and his hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Tatar (video here). While initial looks at the hit made it seem like it was a headshot, second looks suggest the hit wasn’t meant for Tatar’s head, rather a shoulder hit.
  • Historically a critic of young players including recent criticism for top prospect Oliver Wahlstrom several weeks ago, New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz praised another rookie, forward Otto Koivula. Despite seeing a season-low 6:32 of ice time in his fourth NHL game, Trotz still felt that Koivula can be trusted on the ice, especially on the defensive end.  “I trust him in the defensive zone more than anything,” Trotz said. “He’s really sound in the defensive zone. He feels like he’s got more time and space with the puck than probably he really does. If there’s anything that’s gotten him in trouble in the few games, it’s that. But I have a lot of trust in putting him on the ice.”

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers’ Offense, Hornqvist, Tanev, Merzlikins

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With a modest 10-6-4 record, the Philadelphia Flyers sit in tied for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. One thing holding the team back is their lack of scoring, far behind teams like the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and the injury-riddled Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sam Carchidi of Philly.com suggests that one of the biggest problem is the lack of production from some of their top-six players, including Kevin Hayes, James van Riemsdyk and Jakub Voracek. It’s been even worse in the last 10 games, even though Philadelphia has gone 5-2-3 in that span. Regardless, Philadelphia has scored just 25 goals, for an average of just 2.5 goals per game in their last 10.

Hayes, who signed a seven-year, $50MM deal this offseason, has score zero goals and is minus-eight in his last 10 games. Van Riemsdyk has just one goal in his last 11 games, while Voracek also has failed to score in his last 10 games.

“We’re working on getting better as a group,” head coach Alain Vigneault said. “We’re not where I think we can get to, but we are working extremely hard and we’ve got a lot of faith that we’ll be able to get there.”

  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel reports that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist participated at practice for the first time since he suffered his lower-body injury on Nov. 2. The 32-year-old worked on his own before the Penguins practiced and wore a gray, non-contact jersey during the light practice. With the practiced focused mainly on the power play, Hornqvist did not participate in those drills. “He’s making significant progress. Obviously, the fact that he joined the team in a non-contact jersey is an indication of that,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “With the limited time I had an opportunity to watch him … I thought he looked pretty good.”
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) wonders if the Penguins should consider moving fourth-line forward Brandon Tanev up in the lineup permanently. The team’s free-agent acquisition was moved up in the lineup recently due to the Penguins’ rash of injuries and has played well. His performance Saturday against Toronto was impressive two as the 27-year-old had two assists, four hits and a plus-two and made a positive impact.
  • NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda notes that while Joonas Korpisalo has received the majority of appearances for the Columbus Blue Jackets in net, that may change. Backup Elvis Merzlikins may be seeing more time soon. Their stats lately have been almost identical. Korpisalo in his last five games has a 2.40 GAA and a .919 save percentage, while backup Merzlikins has a 2.45 GAA and a .919 save percentage. “Elvis is improving,” head coach John Tortorella said. “That comes into some decision making for me as we go through here because I have to monitor everything with those two guys because of just the situation we’re in. We’ll see where it goes.”

Minor Transactions: 11/10/19

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With 16 teams playing today, the league is busy and teams could be making roster moves throughout the day. Keep your eye out for updates throughout the day.

  • The San Jose Sharks announced they have assigned defenseman Dalton Prout to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 29-year-old Prout has appeared just once this season, the season-opener. He suffered an upper-body injury, however, and has been out ever since. Prout played 20 games for the Calgary Flames last season, but the team hopes that Prout could return soon and make an impact on the team’s defense.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have made four moves, which includes placing defenseman Markus Nutivaara on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 5 and assigning goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. To replace the two roster spots, the Blue Jackets have recalled goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and forward Eric Robinson from Cleveland. Nutivaara was injured on Tuesday against Vegas, suffering an upper-body injury and remains day-to-day, but there is no word on how much time he could miss. Merzlikins went down to get some work in as the young netminder has only appeared in three games this season, but the 25-year-old made one appearance, allowing two goals and boasting a .933 save percentage. The 24-year-old Robinson played in 13 games for Columbus last season and has five points in 14 games with the Monsters this year. Robinson was likely recalled in anticipation that Nick Foligno is suspended by the league on Monday for his hit on Colorado’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
  • With the improved health of forwards Joakim Nordstrom and Par Lindholm, the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that the Boston Bruins have officially assigned forward Peter Cehlarik to the Providence Bruins of the AHL. The 24-year-old has been up and down for the last few weeks between Boston and Providence, playing in three games for the Bruins, most recently on Friday when he played 12:07 and picking up his first point of the season with an assist.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Josh Mahura from San Diego of the AHL, reports Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register.  He’s taking the place of blueliner Hampus Lindholm who has been transferred to injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.  Mahura has played in three games with Anaheim already this season, recording three assists while averaging 16:46 per night.  He has also suited up in seven games with the Gulls where he has been held off the scoresheet.

Columbus Blue Jackets Make Several Roster Moves

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have given their roster a shake up, starting with the activation of Alexandre Texier from injured reserve. The young forward has been out since October 26th. Beyond that, the team has also sent down Elvis Merzlikins and Markus Hannikainen, while recalling Adam Clendening and Matiss Kivlenieks from the AHL.

The surprising name among the bunch is Merzlikins, who has served as the Blue Jackets’ backup goaltender this season. He has just four appearances so far however, and given the team doesn’t have a back-to-back situation until the end of the month, may not be getting much more action in the NHL anytime soon. In order to keep him fresh, the team likely wants him to get some minutes in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters before coming back up.

Clendening too is an interesting recall, if only because it is for the first time this season. The 27-year old defenseman actually ended up playing in seven playoff games for the Blue Jackets last season, but was waived and sent to the minors again at the end of training camp this year. An AHL star, Clendening is off to another great start with six points in his first ten games for the Monsters.

Texier, 20, is a big part of the future for Columbus, who expect him to be a two-way force in their lineup for a long time. The young forward has three points in his first 11 games with the team but has missed the last four contests after suffering a knee injury against the Philadelphia Flyers. In that time, the Blue Jackets have gone 0-3-1 and dropped far behind in the playoff race in the Metropolitan Division.

Free Agent Profile: Scott Darling

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Veteran goaltender Cam Ward called it a career today, signing a one-day contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, who he served for 13 seasons to begin his NHL career. The 35-year-old finally moved on from the Hurricanes last season, but struggled in a backup role with the Chicago Blackhawks. With his numbers slipping and age catching up with him, Ward decided now was the time to retire.

Interestingly enough, Ward’s failed replacement in Carolina, Scott Darling, also remains an unsigned free agent, waiting for a market to develop. Just two UFA goaltenders – Anthony Stolarz and Jared Coreau – have signed an NHL contract since July 2nd and no goalie has been inked in 50 days. The market is dead quiet, but Ward’s exit leaves Darling as the obvious top name if a team does come calling. Darling, 30, is just hoping at this point that he too doesn’t have to consider retirement.

It was not long ago that Darling was actually considered one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL. A 2007 draft pick, Darling was a slow-developing prospect who played another year of juniors, two years in college, and four years bouncing around the minors before he ever saw NHL action. However, when he broke through in 2014-15 with the Chicago Blackhawks, he immediately impressed. Darling spent three seasons as the backup to Corey Crawford, with his role increasing each year, and in total posted 39 wins, a .923 save percentage, and a 2.37 GAA in 75 appearances.

The Hurricanes believed they were getting a bargain when they acquired Darling for a third-round pick in the summer of 2017 and signed him to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. However, it quickly became clear that the star backup was not cut out to be a starter. Darling was unable to overtake Ward despite ample opportunity, posting an .888 save percentage and 3.18 GAA in 43 appearances. Darling made 40 starts to Ward’s 42 and was outplayed by the aging veteran, which is not what either he nor Carolina had hoped for.

The ‘Canes essentially cleaned house last summer, letting Ward walk in free agency and burying Darling in the AHL, replacing them with the far more effective duo of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. Darling did make eight spot starts for Carolina this past season, but somehow performed even worse than he did the year prior. In the minors, Darling sat behind lauded prospect Alex Nedeljkovic and when he did get a chance to play – he made just 14 appearances – the results were just as bad if not worse than his NHL performance. Not wanting to be weighed down by Darling’s $4.15MM cap hit any longer, the team traded him to the Florida Panthers this off-season along with a sixth-round draft pick for a new backup in James Reimer. The Panthers quickly bought out Darling, making him a free agent.

Potential Suitors

It has now been more than two years since anyone has been impressed by Darling’s efforts on the ice. With that said, the free agent market at goalie is slim pickings, with Darling easily headlining a group that includes Michal Neuvirth – who has signed a PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs – Chad Johnson, Al Montoya, and Michael Leighton. Each of those players is both older than Darling and was last considered a legitimate NHL option far prior to Darling’s downfall. Darling is simply the best of a poor group, but is looking for redemption. Unlike Ward, Darling will have no expectations of any role or guaranteed play time. He will instead be looking for an opportunity to show that he can still be an effective NHL backup, likely by seeking a third-string role with the chance to battle for play time at the top level.

Accepting a role such as this could open some opportunities for Darling, especially once training camp begins. Injuries to starters or backups can shift the paradigm for an NHL team and leave them searching or an experienced option. The Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, and Philadelphia Flyers are examples of teams with shallow depth in net and injury concerns who could turn to Darling in the even of an incident.

It’s also very possible that several teams are already aware of their weaknesses in goal and simply waiting to see how their current keepers look in training camp and the preseason and potentially even early on the in the regular season. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the one team that everyone is focused on in net, as the team is set to have former backup Joonas Korpisalo and newly-signed European prospect Elvis Merzlikins begin the year as a young, unproven tandem. Early concerns could lead to Columbus looking for additional support, with Darling as the top option other than trade or waivers. The Colorado Avalanche are also in need of depth in net. Their top two of Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz are likely to be fine this season, but the lack of any other experienced name behind them could be a cause for pause, especially given this will be Francouz’ first full NHL season.

Ironically, the Florida Panthers are one final team that could be in the goalie market and would have been a good fit for Darling. The team understandably bought out Darling’s hefty contract, but could’ve actually used a player of his experience. The Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky’s this summer and will likely ask him to start 65+ games this season, but young Samuel Montembeault is currently slated to be his backup with other untested prospects behind him. Montembeault’s performance in the backup role, as well as the effect on his development of sitting so often, could lead the Panthers to search for a veteran option. Darling won’t be the answer now, but one has to wonder if the two sides connected at all prior to what was clearly an orchestrated trade-and-dump.

Projected Contract

It’s nearly September and teams are getting ready for training camp, yet Darling still sits without a contract. At this point, he will receive a PTO or nothing. Even if he proves himself in camp, it will likely only result in a minimum $700K NHL cap hit on a one-year, two-way deal. If that’s what it takes to climb his back way into the NHL though, Darling will surely take it. After all, he’s receiving a nice pay check from the Panthers for four more years anyway.

Free Agent Profile: Cam Ward

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Since the unrestricted free agency rush of July 1st subsided, just two NHL goaltenders have been signed off the open market: Anthony Stolarz with the Anaheim Ducks and Jared Coreau with the New York Islanders. That’s two goalie signings in 33 days, making it easily the quietest position of this off-season, despite a major re-shuffling of UFA starters early on and several RFA extensions as well.

Unsurprisingly, several notable names remain available – Scott Darling, Chad Johnson, Mike McKenna, Al Montoya – while Michal Neuvirth has already accepted a PTO. However, one name sticks out above the rest for both his career accomplishments and his meaningful role in 2018-19.

Cam Ward, 35, ventured outside of Carolina last season for the first time in his 14-year NHL career. Ward signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Chicago Blackhawks last summer and proceeded to play a major tole for the team this past season. Dealing with ongoing issues with starter Corey Crawford, Ward ended up playing in 33 games to Crawford’s 39 and Collin Delia’s 16. Although Ward’s .897 save percentage and 3.67 GAA were the worst among the trio, it was only a marginal gap. The Blackhawks struggled defensively and no goalie was safe, as all three finished with a save percentage below .910 and GAA above 2.90.

Still, Ward cannot have been happy with his results last year. A Stanley Cup winner and former All-Star, Ward was rock solid for the Hurricanes for several years. He thrived early on as a workhorse, including a 2010-11 campaign in which he posted a career-high .923 save percentage in a league-best 74 appearances. He then settled nicely into a timeshare role, posting back-to-back seasons with a 2.40 GAA while playing in around 50 games each year from 2014 to 2016. Even as he continued to age and his numbers slipped slightly, no one could have predicted his pedestrian performance last season. It was a sharp decline from his career numbers that could have been an outlier or could be signaling the end of his career.

One thing that is certainly working against Ward finding work this off-season is the now well-established narrative that he does not play well as a backup. Over his career, Ward has played in four seasons, including last year in Chicago, in which he did not make at least half of his team’s starts. In those three seasons combined, Ward is 49-38-13, with a a save percentage of .895 and a GAA of 3.37. In all of his other seasons combined, Ward has a record of 285-218-75, with a save percentage of .911 and a GAA of 2.63. It is extremely clear that Ward does his best work with regular appearances and any team looking to make the most of signing him will want to offer that opportunity. But does such a landing spot exist?

Potential Suitors

The honest answer is that the team likely to sign Ward, if any, isn’t aware of the need just yet. Ward could very well be a veteran option that a team turns to in case of injury or poor performance that can be a temporary starter. While it’s impossible to project injuries, the New York Rangers have a starter who is even older than Ward and have very little depth behind him. A Henrik Lundqvist injury could certainly turn the Blueshirts on to Ward as an option to step in at starter during a season that brings high expectations to New York. The same could be said for the Vegas Golden Knights, whose 34-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury has dealt with injury issues before. Vegas is in better shape with their depth in net and could handle a short absence from Fleury, but without a proven NHL goalie elsewhere on the depth chart, a long-term injury could send them on the hunt for a solution. Despite having both John Gibson and Ryan Miller, the Anaheim Ducks are far from safe when it comes to injury risk and could be an option for Ward if disaster strikes. The Philadelphia Flyers shuffled through goalies like no other team in NHL history last year, so another issue with Brian Elliott could easily have the Flyers intrigued in Ward.

As for teams who risk needing a starter due to poor play, no team jumps out more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s perhaps even fair to call them the most likely landing spot for Ward, as they are sure to go through some bumpy times with their young tandem of former backup Joonas Korpisalo and unproven import Elvis Merzlikins. The team only has more untested foreign talent in the minors as well. The Blue Jackets have ample cap space, so if there was a bidding war for Ward at any point, Columbus would be the favorite to beat out any other team in need of an emergency starter.

If Ward is intent on signing before the season begins though, rather than wait for a need-based market to develop in-season, there are a couple of teams who could still be looking for a backup. Again, that isn’t the ideal role for Ward, but it is one that the respected veteran would likely be willing to try his hand at again. The Florida Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, but 22-year-old Samuel Montembeault is slated to be the primary backup heading into next year. He is waiver-exempt still and could head to the AHL without issue if the team opted to look at a veteran backup. However, this doesn’t seem extremely likely, considering their investment in Bobrovsky, who they likely expect to make 65 starts. In Colorado, the Avalanche seemed hesitant to give last year’s third-string, Pavel Francouz, an extended look despite strong numbers in the NHL and AHL. He is now the likely backup to Philipp Grubauer, who himself is still finding his footing as a true starter. The Avs have almost no depth in net and could look to add another name to the mix in Ward.

Projected Contract

Ward has made at least $3MM in each of the past four seasons and more than $6MM on the contract prior to that. Those days are now over. Regardless of the impact that his role or the team’s defense had on his 2018-19 performance in Chicago, Ward has lost his leverage to command a sizable salary after such a poor season. If he is settling in to a backup role before the season, he will almost certainly land somewhere between $1MM and the league minimum of $700K. If he is signing mid-season to take over as a starter or at least in a timeshare, that number could go up, but not much higher. If Ward feels like he has several years left, he will be looking at this season as an investment in future earnings; he will accept a cheap deal to go to the right place where there is the potential to succeed, so as to hit the market next summer with some more bargaining power. The only question is whether that right fit exists, now or down the road after the season begins. Ward could call it a career if no such opportunities arise by the end of the calendar year.

Blue Jackets Could Decide To Not Replace Sergei Bobrovsky In Free Agency

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If Sergei Bobrovsky winds up leaving Columbus in free agency this summer as many anticipate, it shouldn’t be considered a sure bet that the Blue Jackets will look to replace him.  Speaking with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required), GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated that the team is comfortable running with Joonas Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins as their goalie tandem for next season:

It’s going to be a competition between those two unless something else happens. And if that’s what we have for our two goalies at the start of the training camp, we’re totally fine with it.

Korpisalo has long been viewed as the goalie of the future in Columbus and he has had flashes of dominant stretches in his young career.  However, he has also struggled at times as well and has posted identical .897 save percentage marks over the past two seasons.  That number falls below the league average which isn’t the most ideal from a potential starting goalie.  The 25-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer and given the uncertainty surrounding his role for the upcoming season, Portzline notes that a one-year contract is likely.  He will still have one season of RFA eligibility after that.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins has been viewed as one of the top goalies outside of North America for the past few years and recently inked a one-year deal for next season.  However, he has yet to play on the smaller ice surface so it’s certainly possible that he could need some time to adjust in the minors first.  However, given how he has performed in the Swiss NLA, it’s also possible that he could step in and make a big impact right away.

Kekalainen is no stranger to high risk, high reward gambles considering how he went all in at the trade deadline.  If he opts to go with a largely unproven tandem of Korpisalo and Merzlikins next season, he’ll be making another one for next season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Elvis Merzlikins

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After burning his entry-level contract without actually suiting up in a game, Elvis Merzlikins has signed another deal. The Columbus Blue Jackets signed the goaltender to a one-year extension for the 2019-20 season. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal is worth $874,125 at the NHL level

Merzlikins, 25, was originally selected by the Blue Jackets in 2014 but has waited in Switzerland biding his time and developing into one of the best non-NHL goaltenders in the world. The Latvian netminder posted excellent numbers in the NLA year after year, but finally came over to the Blue Jackets in March and signed a one-year entry-level deal. That contract was burned immediately despite Merzlikins only practicing with the team, but he’ll surely get more than optional skates next season.

With Sergei Bobrovsky expected to move on to a different locale in free agency this summer, the path to a starting role in Columbus has never been more open. Merzlikins could very well be that starter next season, though the team still has Joonas Korpisalo in the organization. Korpisalo is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1st, a date that actually comes with an interesting CBA quirk. As CapFriendly points out, NHL organizations are required to have at least three goaltenders under contract at all times. With Korpisalo, Bobrovsky, Keith Kinkaid, and Jean-Francois Berube all hitting free agency this summer the team only had Daniil Tarasov and Matiss Kivlenieks with deals for 2019-20.

If Merzlikins is given the job in Columbus, it wouldn’t exactly be handed to a goaltender without experience. While he may have never played in the NHL, the 6’3″ netminder has played against top competition for years internationally. Representing Latvia at World Junior, World Championship and even Olympic qualifying tournaments, he has routinely kept top scorers at bay. In Switzerland he has been named the Goaltender of the Year multiple times while posting save percentages somewhere between .913-.924 year after year.

Interestingly, Merzlikins will be a restricted free agent once again in 2020. The short-term deal is likely the best option for both sides, with the player wanting to prove his worth at the NHL level and the team not willing to commit to an unproven goaltender.

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