Blue Jackets’ Merzlikins to miss start of 2026-27 after failing physical
As expected, one of the masked men in Ohio is going to be out for the foreseeable future.
When speaking to the media on Wednesday, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell revealed that goaltender Elvis Merzlikins failed his preseason physical, meaning he will miss the start of the 2026-27 regular season.
The news comes as Merzlikins continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery, which he had last month in Vail, Colo. The Latvian netminder was hurt during training over the summer, and no timeline was given at the time of the operation. Waddell reiterated that it’s not yet known when Merzlikins could be back on the ice.
“We’re not going to see him here in the near future,” Waddell said.
Even though the 32-year-old is expected to be out for an extended period of time, the Blue Jackets will have options between the pipes. Last year, as the Blue Jackets struggled during the first couple of months, Merzlikins lost the starting job to Jet Greaves, who helped Columbus climb the Eastern Conference standings, narrowly missing the team’s first postseason berth in six years. Also, Columbus signed veteran goaltender Cam Talbot to a one-year contract earlier this week, giving the team a rather solid duo heading into training camp.
In 30 games in 2025-26, Merzlikins posted a record of 14-11-3, with a 3.40 goals-against average, an .883 save percentage, and one shutout. It was his worst performance since the 2022-23 campaign, when he registered a 4.23 GAA and .876 SV% in 30 appearances.
In 274 career NHL games, all with Columbus, Merzlikins has a record of 108-111-38, with a 3.22 GAA, a .900 SV% and 12 shutouts. He also played in two games during the 2020 playoffs.
