Werenski, Merzlikins, Johnson and Evason break down Blue Jackets’ win
Postgame interviews with the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, Elvis Merzlikins, Kent Johnson and Dean Evason after a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins has been selected to represent Latvia in the 2026 Winter Olympics.The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation announced Merzlikins as part of their first six players named to the Olympic roster.Despite a strong season and international performance, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski was not among the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic roster.Merzlikins has a career NHL record of 94-100-35 with a 3.20 GAA and .902 save percentage.
The Blue Jackets officially have a player who’ll represent them at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.
Latvia announced June 16 that goalie Elvis Merzlikins will play for his country in the first Olympic games to feature NHL players since 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation revealed part of its Olympics roster as part of a coordinated effort by the 12 nations invited to compete from Feb. 11-22 to share their “first six” additions throughout June 16. That included the U.S. and Canada.
No other Blue Jackets were included among the “first six” announcements, as USA Hockey declined to name Zach Werenski one of its “first six” 2026 Olympians. Werenski put together his best NHL season for the Blue Jackets in 2024-25 and finished second to the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman.
Werenski was also voted on the NHL’s first all-star team by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and led the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in scoring with six points on six assists for the U.S. in February 2025. The U.S. won silver in the event, which pitted teams from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland against one another in a mid-season “best-on-best” tournament held in Montreal and Boston, acting as a precursor to the league’s return to international play.
Werenski also played for the U.S. at the men’s world championships in May, helping the red, white and blue end a long dry spell by winning a gold medal in that tournament for the first time since 1933.
Chosen ahead of Werenski by U.S. general manager Bill Guerin (Minnesota Wild) were Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers).
Merzlikins, 31, has played for Latvia in six men’s world championships. Between 2016-2024, compiling a 2.79 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and three shutouts in 31 appearances. He was named a Top 3 player on his team in 2016, 2017 and 2018, prior to starting his NHL career with the Blue Jackets.
Merzlikins has found the NHL waters much choppier to traverse, posting a 94-100-35 record with a 3.20 GAA and .902 save percentage in 244 career games – all for the Blue Jackets. He went 26-21-5 with a 3.18 GAA and .892 save percentage in 2024-25, helping the Jackets become the NHL’s best story while staying in the hunt for a playoff spot through 81 of 82 games.
With two years left on a contract that counts at $5.4 million a year against the NHL’s salary cap, there are fans and analysts who feel that Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell should buy out the remainder of his deal and make Merzlikins an unrestricted free agent.
Waddell disagrees and recently told the Dispatch he’s not considering the use of contract buyouts this summer for Merzlikins or other players. Short of a trade, Merzlikins will return as the Blue Jackets’ top goalie for 2025-26 and will have his sights set on posting his best NHL season before heading to the Olympics.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
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