Devils Interested In Significant Goalie Addition In The East

As the New Jersey Devils still sit outside of the playoff picture this season, goalie troubles have plagued them. This has been an ongoing discussion for most of the season and talks have now picked up as it is clear that the Devils are actively searching for goaltending help. While apparently making an offer to the Calgary Flames for Jacob Markstrom, that fell through.

The Devils could still acquire Markstrom if some of the moving pieces change, but the team also has eyes elsewhere as other options. In particular, New Jersey has shown interest in Elvis Merzlikins of the Columbus Blue Jackets, per Kevin Weekes.

Merzlikins hasn't been the most consistent goaltender in the NHL, but has played much better this season compared to recent years. The Blue Jackets are still very bad, so it is tough to judge just Merzlikins fully. When the team was better, he put up much better numbers. In comparison to the Devils' goaltenders, Merzlikins would be the go-to man. That is what he is looking for and the team has cap space to make it work, especially with someone like Vitek Vanecek going the other way in a potential trade.

Merzlikins has a .904 SV% this season and a less ideal cap hit of $5.4 million AAV for three more seasons after this one. If any talks with Markstrom and even Juuse Saros don't work out, Merzlikins may just be the play for New Jersey. They are in a season where expectations are high and they should be winning more games if it weren't for goaltending. If they finally fix that, it could be a game-changer.