The observers call Merzlikin the second best hockey player of the “Blue Jackets” and predict a weak season for the team

The Columbus “Blue Jackets” represented by Elvya Merzlikina have not managed to reach the playoff tournament for two years in a row, and according to “The Athletic” observers, this series will be extended in the upcoming season.

Goldman and Gentile predict that Columbus has just a 3 percent chance of making the playoffs this coming season.

2022-23 season previews with @domluszczyszyn and @seangentille

Johnny Gaudreau’s the elite winger the Blue Jackets were missing, but his impact may not be enough to bring this team back to the postseason just yet. https://t.co/XNDqdBPnX0 pic.twitter.com/7BKwpQ57sQ

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) September 21, 2022

As you know, NHL star Johnny Goodreau joined the team this offseason, but Goldman explains that it won’t be enough.

“Gudro is an elite winger that the Blue Jackets have been sorely missing, but he won’t contribute enough to get his team back to the playoffs right away,” Goldman wrote.

Both reviewers gave each “Blue Jackets” hockey player a rating on a five-point scale. 0 means the player is barely in the league. One point indicates a mediocre player, two – a high-class player, three – a hockey player who can be considered a star, four – a player around whom it is possible to build a team, and five points are reserved for a hockey player who is an MVP-caliber player.

Merzlikin has almost reached the status of a high-class player in the assessment of both reviewers. True, his rating (1.9) is the second best in the team after the already mentioned Gudro (4.3).

The Blue Jackets finished 10th in the Eastern Conference last season with 81 points. Merzlikin scored an average of 90.7% saved shots and 3.22 turnovers per match.