The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired goaltender Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of the Kirill Marchenko-Matthew Knies blockbuster trade on Monday. However, the Maple Leafs are going to be waiting a long time before Merzlikins can return to the ice. While speaking to reporters, including The Athletic's Chris Johnston, Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka shared that Merzlikins will be out for another 3-5 months after having shoulder surgery during the offseason.
With this update, the earliest that Merzlikins could return to action is in late December. However, if he ends up being out for five months, he would not return until late February. In either scenario, Merzlikins is set to miss a decent chunk of the season for Toronto.
Merzlikins' spot on the Maple Leafs once he returns to action is also far from guaranteed. This is because Toronto already has goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz on their NHL roster. Merzlikins appeared in 30 games last season for the Blue Jackets, where he posted a 14-11-3 record, an .883 save percentage, and a 3.40 goals-against average.
This is after he had a 26-21-5 record, an .892 save percentage, and a 3.18 goals-against average in 53 games for Columbus in 2024-25.
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