The Columbus Blue Jackets have won three games in a row, including the first two under new head coach Rick Bowness. The veteran Bowness was brought in on Monday, replacing the fired Dean Evason. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins says he can already feel the difference in the locker room.
“I'm really excited,” Merzlikins said, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers. “I mean nothing against Dean (Evason.) I mean, his decisions were his decisions. I'm mature enough so I'm obviously happy that we have a new coach because it's new energy right now.”
Merzlikins is in his seventh season with the Blue Jackets, serving as the backup to young star Jet Greaves. The 30 saves he made on 31 shots against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday marked one of his best performances of the season. His season-long numbers are poor, with an .882 save percentage and 3.84 goals-against average. But maybe the coaching change can spark him.
The Blue Jackets are second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with 49 points in 47 games. While they are over .500, almost every team in the Eastern Conference is. Bowness would be in the Coach of the Year race if he managed to get Columbus into the postseason this year. Evason was fired because the team was not performing, but the new-coach bump is not sustainable for the Jackets.
The Blue Jackets should head into March's trade deadline as a seller, which could lead to Merzlikins heading out the door. If he can improve his stats under Bowness, he will become incredibly valuable in the trade market. The Oilers already made their goalie move, bringing in Tristan Jarry, but there are other contenders with goalie issues. The Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vegas Golden Knights have all had goalie issues this year. Could Merzlikins play himself into playoff starts?
