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Elvis Merzlikins

#90 · Goalie · Toronto Maple Leafs

Born Apr 13, 1994 in Riga, LVA (age 32) · 6'3", 190 lb · Catches left · Drafted 76th overall in 2014 by CBJ (round 3)

Compare with a similar player

The goalies closest to him in games played in 2021-22. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Alex Nedeljkovic DET · 59 GP, 0.901 Tristan Jarry PIT · 58 GP, 0.919 Darcy Kuemper COL · 57 GP, 0.921 John Gibson ANA · 56 GP, 0.904 Marc-Andre Fleury MIN · 56 GP, 0.908

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

020402019-20: 32 games3219-202020-21: 28 games2820-212021-22: 59 games5921-222022-23: 30 games3022-232023-24: 41 games4123-242024-25: 53 games5324-252025-26: 30 games3025-26

Games played by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save % Cap hit
2019-20 CBJ 32 13975 919 848 71 2.35 0.923 $874K
2020-21 CBJ 28 81252 825 756 69 2.77 0.916 $4M
2021-22 CBJ 59 272372 1920 1742 178 3.22 0.907 $4M
2022-23 CBJ 30 71820 889 779 110 4.23 0.876 $5.4M
2023-24 CBJ 41 131781 1266 1136 130 3.45 0.897 $5.4M
2024-25 CBJ 53 262151 1557 1389 168 3.18 0.892 $5.4M
2025-26 CBJ 30 141131 812 717 95 3.40 0.883 $5.4M
7 seasons Career 273 1081113712 8188 7367 821 3.22 0.900

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
2019-20 CBJ 2 1100 74 70 4 1.96 0.946
1 season Playoffs 2 1100 74 70 4 1.96 0.946

2021-22 season totals

GP Starts WLOTLSO Shots against Saves Goals against GAA Save %
59 56 272372 1920 1742 178 3.22 0.907

Contract

$4MCap hitends in 2022, then extended to 2027
$206KCap dollars per goal above replacement19.5 goals above replacement
$4.4MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$394KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 59 ranked goalies whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Apr 23, 2020, as an extension of the contract he was on: 2 years and $8M, beginning in 2020-21. It runs through 2021-22, so this is its last season, and his extension takes over. His next contract is already signed: an extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sep 21, 2021, 5 years and $27M at $5.4M a season, beginning in 2022-23.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2020-21 $4M $3M $0 $3M
2021-22 $4M $5M $0 $5M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 21, 2021 Columbus Blue Jackets Extension not begun 2022-23 to 2026-27 5 $27M $5.4M
Apr 23, 2020 Columbus Blue Jackets Extension 2020-21 to 2021-22 2 $8M $4M
May 15, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Extension 2019-20 to 2019-20 1 $874K $874K
Mar 20, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Entry-level 2018-19 to 2018-19 1 $925K $1.845M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2021-22 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2021-22 analytics

Rating

+19.5Goals above replacement17th of 61 goalies
+3.2Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+1.2Goals above averagehis goals saved above expected

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 61 ranked goalies: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. Goals above average is coloured as it is under Shots faced below, where it is taken per 60 minutes.

The goals he saved for his team, compared with a spare-part goalie facing the same shots. A goalie's season is about one-third the goalie and two-thirds chance, so read one year lightly. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-20-10010202019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

Shots faced

Expected goals adds up how likely each shot he faced was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. A goalie who lets in fewer than that has saved goals above expected. Only shots taken while he was in net count, and the league's goalies as a whole come out at zero. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones. What these numbers mean

+1.2Goals saved above expectedexpected goals minus goals against
179.2Expected goals againstfrom 2,584 unblocked attempts
178Goals againstwhile he was in net
0.907Save %0.907 expected from his shots

Goals saved above expected, taken per 60 minutes, and save % are coloured by where they rank among the 65 goalies who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. The two goals against tiles are left plain, since they follow how much he played.

Goals saved +0.02 above expected per 60 minutes49th
Shot difficulty 6.9% chance per attempt faced69thA higher bar means his team gives up more dangerous shots.

Each bar shows the share of goalies he is ahead of, among the 65 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest this season.

050100150Game 10Game 20Game 30Game 40Game 50Expected 179.2Allowed 178

The goals he was expected to let in and the goals he did, as the season went on. When the allowed line runs below the expected line, he is saving more than his shots were worth.

Where he was shot at

Every unblocked attempt he faced this season, with his net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result Decision Shots against Saves Goals against Save % TOI
Apr 29, 2022 @ PIT L 3-5 L 42 40 2 0.952 52:52
Apr 28, 2022 vs TBL W 5-2 W 27 25 2 0.926 59:48
Apr 26, 2022 @ TBL L 1-4 L 32 28 4 0.875 60:00
Apr 24, 2022 vs EDM W 5-2 W 35 33 2 0.943 60:00
Apr 22, 2022 vs OTT L 1-2 (SO) OTL 26 25 1 0.962 65:00
Apr 19, 2022 @ SJS L 2-3 L 28 25 3 0.893 58:30
Apr 16, 2022 @ LAK L 1-2 L 38 36 2 0.947 58:38
Apr 13, 2022 vs MTL W 5-1 W 21 20 1 0.952 60:00
Apr 9, 2022 @ DET W 5-4 (OT) W 38 34 4 0.895 63:19
Apr 7, 2022 vs PHI L 1-4 L 31 27 4 0.871 60:00
Apr 5, 2022 @ PHI W 4-2 W 49 47 2 0.959 60:00
Apr 4, 2022 vs BOS L 2-3 (OT) OTL 37 34 3 0.919 60:54
Apr 2, 2022 @ BOS L 2-5 L 40 37 3 0.925 57:25
Mar 31, 2022 @ NYI L 2-5 L 35 31 4 0.886 57:48
Mar 29, 2022 vs NYI L 3-4 L 29 25 4 0.862 57:43
Mar 26, 2022 @ MIN L 2-3 (OT) OTL 38 35 3 0.921 61:24
Mar 25, 2022 @ WPG L 3-4 (OT) OTL 33 29 4 0.879 58:43
Mar 19, 2022 vs STL W 5-4 21 19 2 0.905 46:06
Mar 17, 2022 vs WSH L 2-7 23 20 3 0.870 38:24
Mar 16, 2022 @ OTT W 4-1 W 31 30 1 0.968 60:00
Mar 13, 2022 vs VGK W 6-4 W 27 23 4 0.852 60:00
Mar 11, 2022 vs MIN W 3-2 (SO) W 38 36 2 0.947 63:51
Mar 7, 2022 vs TOR L 4-5 L 33 28 5 0.848 57:17
Mar 5, 2022 vs BOS L 4-5 (SO) OTL 32 28 4 0.875 63:33
Mar 4, 2022 vs LAK L 3-4 (OT) OTL 43 39 4 0.907 63:54
Mar 1, 2022 vs NJD W 4-3 W 33 30 3 0.909 60:00
Feb 27, 2022 vs PIT L 2-3 L 40 37 3 0.925 59:26
Feb 17, 2022 @ CHI W 7-4 W 32 28 4 0.875 60:00
Feb 15, 2022 @ CGY L 2-6 L 41 35 6 0.854 60:00
Feb 12, 2022 @ MTL W 2-1 W 31 30 1 0.968 60:00
Feb 10, 2022 @ BUF W 4-3 (OT) W 27 24 3 0.889 60:16
Feb 8, 2022 @ WSH W 5-4 W 33 29 4 0.879 60:00
Jan 31, 2022 vs FLA L 4-8 L 25 18 7 0.720 40:00
Jan 26, 2022 vs CGY L 0-6 L 62 56 6 0.903 60:00
Jan 23, 2022 vs OTT L 1-2 L 33 31 2 0.939 57:57
Jan 20, 2022 @ PHI W 2-1 W 34 33 1 0.971 60:00
Jan 15, 2022 @ FLA L 2-9 L 15 11 4 0.733 13:28
Jan 13, 2022 @ CAR W 6-0 W, SO 31 31 0 1.000 60:00
Jan 1, 2022 vs CAR L 4-7 L 15 11 4 0.733 19:08
Dec 30, 2021 vs NSH W 4-3 (SO) W 34 31 3 0.912 64:36
Dec 16, 2021 @ EDM L 2-5 L 29 25 4 0.862 39:56
Dec 14, 2021 @ VAN L 3-4 L 39 35 4 0.897 59:12
Dec 11, 2021 @ SEA W 5-4 (OT) W 32 28 4 0.875 60:55
Dec 9, 2021 vs ANA L 1-2 (SO) OTL 26 25 1 0.962 65:00
Dec 7, 2021 @ TOR L 4-5 L 30 25 5 0.833 39:35
Dec 5, 2021 vs SJS W 6-4 W 34 30 4 0.882 60:00
Nov 30, 2021 @ NSH L 0-6 L 9 6 3 0.667 12:52
Nov 26, 2021 vs VAN W 4-2 W 41 39 2 0.951 59:41
Nov 24, 2021 vs WPG W 3-0 W, SO 36 36 0 1.000 60:00
Nov 20, 2021 @ VGK L 2-3 L 35 32 3 0.914 57:47
Nov 18, 2021 @ ARI W 5-4 (SO) W 29 25 4 0.862 64:01
Nov 15, 2021 vs DET W 5-3 W 27 24 3 0.889 60:00
Nov 13, 2021 vs NYR L 3-5 L 41 36 5 0.878 57:27
Nov 6, 2021 vs COL W 4-2 W 36 34 2 0.944 60:00
Oct 29, 2021 @ NYR L 0-4 L 37 33 4 0.892 59:36
Oct 25, 2021 vs DAL W 4-1 W 32 31 1 0.969 60:00
Oct 21, 2021 vs NYI W 3-2 (OT) W 36 34 2 0.944 61:49
Oct 16, 2021 vs SEA W 2-1 (OT) W 20 19 1 0.950 62:16
Oct 14, 2021 vs ARI W 8-2 W 38 36 2 0.947 60:00