Age: 25
Stats: 33 GP, 13-9-8, 2.35 GAA, .923 save percentage, 6.5 PS
Coming into the season:There were a lot of questions facing the Blue Jackets going into the season, but none was bigger than the one in net. And the big wild card at the spot was Merzlikins, who came to the NHL after a decorated career in Europe but had never played consistently on the small rink of North America. He was billed as a talent, perhaps the top goalie in the world not playing in the NHL, but it would be a big step up going from Switzerland's NLA to taking on the best players in the world. He boasted a career 2.63 goals-against average and .920 save percentage with HC Lugano as well as some success at the international level for his native Latvia, but Merzlikins would jump right into the fire in 2019-20.
Why he showed he's a building block:Blue Jackets fans don't need to be retold the story of Elvis, but it was an incredible journey for the Latvian in his first NHL season.
His start was far from auspicious as he gave up seven goals in his opening game vs. Pittsburgh, and while Merzlikins played much better hockey from there -- he had a 2.89 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in his next nine games -- he was 0-4-4 and the Blue Jackets had zero wins in his first 10 NHL appearances when an injury to Joonas Korpisalo meant the starting job was his.
And beginning with his first start in Nationwide Arena on New Year's Eve against Sergei Bobrovsky, Merzlikins was on fire after taking over as the No. 1 goalie. He went 12-2-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .953 save percentage in his first 14 starts after the Korpisalo injury, including a ridiculous eight-game stretch in which he posted five shutouts to move into first place in the NHL in the stat.
He had help from a defense that was simply airtight in that span, but Merzlikins also was excellent in that crucial stretch. It was clear he had a new mind-set -- after trying too hard to prove himself over the opening months, he let the game come to him once he became the No. 1 -- but he also showed incredible physical gifts, highlighted by fantastic mobility and athleticism that meant he was never out of a play.
John Tortorella did his best to temper Merzlikins mania as the goalie's enthusiasm, personality and strong play built him a throng of fans in Columbus, but the head coach couldn't deny the goalie was on quite a run as the season went by.
"We know how athletic he is," Tortorella said. "We certainly know what his swagger is, his personality. I think it was just a matter of time. He comes from playing in a big rink, understanding the size of the rink, understanding how quick the game is, how quick people are on top of you because it's such a smaller rink, just understanding what you have to do as far as preparation.
"There have been a lot of questions (about him) and rightfully so. He's played really well. But this is still such a small sample. I think (goalie coach Manny Legace) has done a terrific job with him. Keep on working and keep on getting him ready to play."
While the good times didn't last forever -- he was 1-3-4 in his last nine games and also missed two weeks with an injury after a collision with Ottawa's Anthony Duclair -- Merzlikins showed he has what it takes to not just play but excel at the NHL level.
What to expect going forward: It's not hard to see how Merzlikins can keep getting better as he gains more and more experience against the best scorers in the world, and the sky is in many ways the limit given his talent, confidence and work ethic. At the same time, goaltender is the most difficult position in hockey to forecast, and play in the crease doesn't always follow a perfect trajectory upward. There's no question Merzlikins has all the tools, though, and he's a reason to be excited when it comes to the future of the team.
