- May 21, 2026
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The Toronto Maple Leafs added another goaltender to their organization as part of a larger trade on Monday, and this morning, general manager John Chayka provided an update on his injury status.
Chayka acquired Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the deal that saw him land star winger Kirill Marchenko while sending his own talented winger Matthew Knews the other way.
Merzlikins was already injured at the time of the trade, and Chayka took the opportunity to share an update as to his recovery timeline when meeting with the media to break down the trade.
“Elvis is currently injured long term, so he’ll go on LTIR,” Chayka said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “The prognosis is 4-6 months. I think he’s give or take a month into his procedure and we’ll continue to work with him and his staff to make sure he’s getting the right rehab. We’re hopeful he can make a return.”
Merzlikins is entering the final season of a five-year contract he originally signed with Columbus that comes along with a salary cap hit of $5.4 million. With the Leafs up against the upper limit of the cap, that cap hit will go on long-term injured reserve.
It is unclear at this time what plans the Leafs have to utilize Merzlikins when he is healthy with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz entrenched as the team’s starting and backup goalies.
Merzlikins, a 32-year-old native of Riga, Latvia, has appeared in 274 regular season games throughout his NHL career. His track record includes a record of 108-111-38 with a .900 save percentage, 3.22 goals against average and 12 career shutouts.
Having spent the entirety of his career to this point in Columbus, Merzlikins is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw him go 14-11-3 with a .883 SV% and 3.40 GAA.
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Chayka acquired Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the deal that saw him land star winger Kirill Marchenko while sending his own talented winger Matthew Knews the other way.
Merzlikins was already injured at the time of the trade, and Chayka took the opportunity to share an update as to his recovery timeline when meeting with the media to break down the trade.
“Elvis is currently injured long term, so he’ll go on LTIR,” Chayka said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “The prognosis is 4-6 months. I think he’s give or take a month into his procedure and we’ll continue to work with him and his staff to make sure he’s getting the right rehab. We’re hopeful he can make a return.”
Merzlikins is entering the final season of a five-year contract he originally signed with Columbus that comes along with a salary cap hit of $5.4 million. With the Leafs up against the upper limit of the cap, that cap hit will go on long-term injured reserve.
It is unclear at this time what plans the Leafs have to utilize Merzlikins when he is healthy with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz entrenched as the team’s starting and backup goalies.
Merzlikins, a 32-year-old native of Riga, Latvia, has appeared in 274 regular season games throughout his NHL career. His track record includes a record of 108-111-38 with a .900 save percentage, 3.22 goals against average and 12 career shutouts.
Having spent the entirety of his career to this point in Columbus, Merzlikins is coming off a 2025-26 season that saw him go 14-11-3 with a .883 SV% and 3.40 GAA.
Continue reading...