Blue Jackets' Merzlikins says he did request trade amid lack of starts

Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzlikins clarified that he did, in fact, request a trade in comments made to Coby Maier of the First Ohio Battery following Monday's win against the Vancouver Canucks.

Merzlikins made 27 saves in the Blue Jackets' shootout win over the NHL-leading Canucks in a game he admitted was a tough one.

"After my last interview that everyone knows I requested for trade, everyone was still here playing for me," the Latvian goaltender said. "It wasn't really an easy game for me."

Aside from the emotional aspect, Merzlikins expressed his troubles early in the game in tracking the puck — struggles he implied were caused by a lack of playing time.

"It definitely wasn't an easy game for me, I didn't play [in] a while," he said to Bally Sports Ohio. "I didn't play in a while and at the start of the game, I didn't feel well with the puck.

"I needed this win. I needed this win and I got it and now I'm laughing."

Before Monday, Merzlikins hadn't appeared since Dec. 29 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and expressed frustration at his lack of playing time. Ahead of Saturday's game against the Kraken, when head coach Pascal Vincent announced that Merzlikins would serve as back-up, the 29-year-old told reporters that he is "not a back-up" and that the Blue Jackets were finding a "new scenario" for him.

When pressed on that statement, Vincent said it was "above my pay grade."

In 173 appearances, all with the Blue Jackets, Merzlikins is 62-70 with a .906 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. He was Columbus' third-round (76th overall) pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Merzlikins is still under contract with the Blue Jackets until the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, making $5.4 million per year against the cap.