Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins Left the Team Due to Personal Reasons

Elvis Merzlikins has left the Columbus Blue Jackets due to personal reasons, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets’ official website reports.

Merzlikins will travel to Latvia to be with his grandmother, who is severely ill. The Jackets’ tender is expected to be out at least a week and possibly longer.

Merzlikins has been awful this season with a 7-17-2 record, 4.10 GAA, and a .880 save percentage. Although he is not the only reason, he is one of the more significant causes of the Columbus cratering this season.

When they re-inked Patrik Laine during the offseason and made the surprise signing of Johnny Gaudreau in free agency, it was thought that they would, at the very least, compete for a playoff spot. Instead, they are competing for the first overall draft pick. The Jackets lead the race for the most ping-pong balls to draft Connor Bedard. If they did win that lottery, then this poor season may just be worth it.

On Saturday, Columbus will host the St. Louis Blues. The Blue Jackets are -235 (+1.5) on the puck line and +100 on the moneyline, with an over/under of 6.5, over (-115), and under (-105). You can find the lines and props for this game and all others on the FanDuel Sportsbook.