The Detroit Red Wings had some poor goaltending last season, and one trade pitch has them trying to fix it.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquire Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Red Wings acquire:
- Elvis Merzlikins ($1.2 million retained)
Blue Jackets acquire:
- Petr Mrazek
- 2025 fourth-round pick (Tampa Bay)
The trade pitch makes sense for both teams as Columbus saves a bit of money and gets out of Merzlikins’ contract, while Detroit gets a better goalie who can compete for the starting job.
The Red Wings would acquire Merzlikins, who’s in the fourth year of his fifth-year, $27 million deal. Merzlikins went 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and a .892 SV%. He has spent his entire NHL career with the Blue Jackets and is a fringe starting goalie in the NHL.
In return, Detroit would give up a fifth-round pick and Mrazek. The Red Wings traded for Mrazek at the deadline, but ship him to Columbus in the trade pitch. Mrazek is in the final year of his two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Red Wings. Mrazek could be the Blue Jackets’ starting goalie or part of a tandem. He went 12-21-2 with a 3.35 GAA and a .891 SV% between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.
Red Wings Admit They Need Better Goaltending
Detroit failed to make the playoffs last season, and a key reason why was their goaltending.
The Red Wings had Cam Talbot as their starter, while Detroit also used Mrazek and Alex Lyon. After the season ended, Detroit fired its goaltending coach, Alex Westlund, and head coach Todd McLellan made it clear they needed to be better in the net.
“It might not seem significant in those roles, but those are significant roles,” McLellan said. “Those are important people in our organization, and those were really good people. I talked about our staff and how they fit in.
“It’s sometimes not a reflection on the job they do, but just something that we needed to do in the coach’s room to stir things up. We need better goaltending, and that’s not just on Alex Westlund. That’s on the goaltenders, the head coach and everybody else that’s involved in it.”
With McLellan looking for better goaltending, the Red Wings could look to make a trade or a free agent signing.
The hope is that with better goaltending, the Red Wings can snap their nine-year playoff drought.
Merzlikins Previously Requested a Trade From Blue Jackets
Merzlikins could be a wise trade target for the Red Wings due to the fact he has wanted to be traded.
During the 2023-24 NHL season, Merzlikins requested a trade as he wasn’t happy with his role. However, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell thought no one would trade for Merzlikins.
“Let’s be honest, nobody is going to trade for that contract. Nobody,” Waddell told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline. “People say, ‘Well, why don’t you buy out the contract?’ It’s a six-year buyout, and there are Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, when you might need that cap space. So you’ve eliminated those two options.”
Merzlikins was on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 2019-20.
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