Maple Leafs GM confirmed that newly acquired goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is going to be out 3-5 months after surgery, and is headed to the LTIR.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Kirill Marchenko on Monday night, they also added both speedy forward Miles Wood and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
The deal was a blockbuster no doubt, but the inclusion of Merzlikins brought a lot of questions as to why, but it was later revealed that he was brought in as part of a way to help alleviate Columbus' cap crunch while also giving Toronto a little more in-season flexibility.
Elvis Merzlikins expected to be out for the next few months
He's currently dealing with a shoulder injury and is recovering from surgery he received this summer, so is it possible that Merzlikins finds his way onto the ice for the Maple Leafs? According to GM John Chayka, it's really not likely.
Chayka addressed the trade early on Tuesday morning, and revealed that Merzlikins is going to be on the LTIR for 3-5 months as he cotinues to recover from his offseason surgery:
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Merzlikins, 32, has a 108-111-38 record in 276 career games to go along with a 3.22 GAA and .900 SV%; he was drafted 76th overall by the Blue Jackets in 2014. It's highly unlikely that he'll ever suit up for the Maple Leafs, and the team benefits from his absence.
How acquiring Merzlikins helps Toronto
The whole goal of acquiring Merzlikins was to give the Maple Leafs more in-season flexibility. With him being on LTIR, the Maple Leafs' pool of money to use increases, giving them some help.
If Toronto moves Max Domi ($3.75M) and Merzlikins ($455,000) to the LTIR, that would give the team a bit more wiggle room during the season. With it being unlikely that Merzlikins suits up, there is a chance that the team benefits from at least a little extra room all season.
It also helped Toronto get the deal done in the first place, as the Blue Jackets were in a cap crunch and despite retaining 18% salary on the deal, it's nowhere near the cap hit he would've had.
Puckpedia put out a post on X that simplifies things a little bit more for the math-conscious fan:
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It's pretty much as simple as that. Toronto knew they needed some more LTIR flexibility and could take on a goalie to do so, and though Merzlikins is a solid goalie, it was always about acquiring Marchenko - no matter the cost.
Do you think Elvis Merzlikins is ever going to play for the Maple Leafs?
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