New Goalie Hitting The Market Could Offer Solutions For Edmonton

Elvis Merzlikins has consistently been a decent starter for the Blue Jackets, putting up an average of 900 sv% over the last three years on the Jackets, even despite having the worst statistical defence in front of him in the 2022-23 season. He is a goalie who has a lot of experience taking on a high workload on a game to game basis, and is used to facing 35+ shots a night.

Merzlikins would be a very interesting fit for the Oilers, as he could be a mentor for Skinner, and could fill in to split the load with Skinner. He carries a $5.4M cap hit for this year and the next 3 years, so the cap hit is obviously not favourable for a team like the Oilers.

The cap hit however offers the Oilers a possible out from under the Campbell contract. If they swap these contracts, it could remove the need for the Oilers to have to give up a first and more just to offload that contract. It would also give them a good NHL caliber goalie for right now, while the Blue Jackets could take on a possible project like Campbell since they are entering a rebuild regardless. It would be interesting to see something like this happen, but could end up being a steal for the Oilers if Merzlikins ends up playing much better when he sheds the terrible defence in front of him.