Blue Jackets’ goaltending depth is tested
Merzlikins in Latvia to be with his ill grandmother
Michael Hutchinson’s SUV and goalie pads have become symbolic for the Blue Jackets.
The SUV has a flat tire and is parked inside his garage in Henderson, Nevada. That’s where Hutchinson left it after Columbus acquired him in a March 2 trade that sent former Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick to the Vegas Golden Knights. The pads, which are silver to match the AHL’S Henderson Silver Knights, now have strips of white, blue and red tape on the front to go with the Blue Jackets’ colors.
Slated to make his first start for the Blue Jackets on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, Hutchinson couldn’t help but smile at his profession’s unpredictability. A couple of weeks ago, he was a little used AHL option. Now, he’s the replacement in Columbus for Joonas Korpisalo, who was traded to the Kings before the deadline along with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
“The day before (the trade), I got a flat tire,” he said. “I was scrambling to do that on a game day and the next thing you know, I get the call. All of a sudden, it’s like, ‘The tire can wait.’ I’ll figure that out eventually.”
The Blue Jackets know the feeling. Little has gone as expected for Columbus this injury-ravaged season, and those silver pads must suffice for the Jackets because Elvis Merzlikins has “temporarily” returned to Latvia on Friday to be with his seriously ill grandmother.
Cleveland Monsters back to square one without Daniil Tarasov
One of the Blue Jackets’ top priorities this season was for rookie Daniil Tarasov to spend the bulk of it playing for the Cleveland Monsters.
That hasn’t happened due to Tarasov replacing Merzlikins multiple times and because of his own injuries. Tarasov was recalled again Friday to replace
Merzlikins, which will force the Monsters to lean on goalies Jet Greaves and Jon Gillies during what they hope is a strong final push for the AHL’S Calder Cup playoffs.
Going into a game Saturday in Grand Rapids, the Monsters were last in the North Division and trailed the Laval Rocket for the division’s final postseason spot by four points.
Challenging season continues for Columbus Blue Jackets’ Merzlikins
This is the first of Merzlikins’ fiveyear contract, which he signed prior to last season. It’s worth $27 million, has a $5.4 million salary-cap charge and looks burdensome given Merzlikins’ struggles with ongoing illness, injuries, inconsistency and unexpected (if understandable) absence.
Merzlikins missed the season’s first two games with an illness, missed six more with a lower-body injury in November, missed another three in December with a fourth COVID-19 infection and missed one more Jan. 12 against Carolina with symptoms matching those of a “long COVID” diagnosis.
He also left a start Tuesday due to illness and watched the Pittsburgh Penguins score five unanswered goals on Hutchinson to defeat the Blue Jackets, 5-4, in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. On top of all of that, Merzlikins and his wife, Aleksandra, dealt with some disturbing heckles in November at Nationwide Arena.
Merzlikins was able to string together a solid stretch of six games after the NHL’S all-star break in early February, but this season isn’t even close to what he and the Blue Jackets expected. bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger