Player Discussion: The Elvis Thread

[SteelCityCannon]

This whole thing makes no sense. He’s right, why did he jump from 1 to 3? He’s played well this year. Plus he wants to play and win here. Unfortunately when you’re a team like Columbus that’s a factor.

This could be a combination with the FO, but man do I hate the way Vincent handles the lineup. I do not at all understand the love and excuses he gets on this board. I think he’s done an absolute horse shit job.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

We seem to have settle that the reason for the current sitch is ego. Now we just have to determine whose.

Probably both to be honest. But 1 ego is higher up with more power than the other.

 

[Krispy]

Just when it seemed like he has finally recovered from all the bad stuff he has experienced over past couple of years and actually felt like has bounced back his game - they start to doing this. Disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful. You have forwards like Laine or Gaudreau that both combined earn around 20 mil. a season and barely do anything other than float on defensive end without compensating that on offense, but obviously they are not the case. It's Elvis.

 

[joybang]

Maybe it’s me but it seems abundantly obvious there’s much more brewing behind the scenes here than just “lol jarmo is so stupid he woke up and on a whim decided to trade Elvis”. Guy had a massive trauma mid career and I’d be willing to bet this stems from residual fallout over the last couple years. This ain’t some overnight thing.

 

[Doggy]

I feel like this applies right now to the trainwreck this organization is.

it's not that they don't love to win.. it's that they don't hate to lose.

Say whatever you want about Elvis but he's a guy who hates to lose and we are going to drive him out of town because the front office ego probably thinks he's the reason they aren't winning and that absolutely not true this year.

I have been an Elvis supporter but a new scenario for him has seemed needed for a few years now but he has only started playing at a level that his contract might be movable.

I understand the whole "loves to win vs hates to lose" issue. It became abundantly clear to me there wa a difference between the two when we traded Nash for Dubi. Nash liked to win but Dubi HATED to lose. We have a few guys in the "hate to lose" camp including Fantilli and Danforth but perhaps there are not enough of those guys. I don't know if Elvis falls into that category though.

What I do think about Elvis is that he is too emotional to be a reliable #1 NHL goalie in this league. What we all love about him is also his biggest achilles heel. Jordan Bennington has undermined himself in St Louis because opposing players know they can rattle him by getting under his skin. The Caps players saw it with Elvis in the Washington game and once players around the league know it they will exploit it as much as possible. Until Elvis learns to control his emotions he will always be vulnerable to wildly inconsistent play.

Regardless of his passion, I don't think this team will ever be consistently competitive with Elvis in net.

You want a goalie that hates to lose, I want a goalie with ice in his veins.

 

[Marioesque]

Regardless of his passion, I don't think this team will ever be consistently competitive with Elvis in net.

You want a goalie that hates to lose, I want a goalie with ice in his veins.

That's my take on it too. I'd want to see stability and calmness from a goalie but with Elvis you never know. A bit too standoffish for my taste.

 

[MissADD]

I know Kevin Weekes teased over on Twitter/X about Elvis and Markstrom in sperate posts, think there is any chance it could be for each other? The money works, Calgary gains another 600K in cap space a year for the next 2 and half years, and Columbus while adding 600k the next 2 and half years. Markstrom contract is a year shorter.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

You want a goalie that hates to lose, I want a goalie with ice in his veins.

Patrick Roy might have something to say about that.

I don't believe the team will consistently win until the front office decides what they want, have a plan, and stick with it. I think they could have had success with Elvis this year based on how he had played for the most part had the defense had a clue what they were doing.

Jarmo swung big with acquiring new defensemen and it didn't help, now he's shifting to the goaltending as being the problem while the defense continues to suck.

I know Kevin Weekes teased over on Twitter/X about Elvis and Markstrom in sperate posts, think there is any chance it could be for each other? The money works, Calgary gains another 600K in cap space a year for the next 2 and half years, and Columbus while adding 600k the next 2 and half years. Markstrom contract is a year shorter.

but we have to see if Tarasov is the guy according to PV.

They aren't acquiring a big money goalie unless they are giving up on him as well.

 

[CBJ goalie]

The fans that wanted this, you're gonna be sorry when he excels with another team.

What a clustered***

 

[Doggy]

Patrick Roy might have something to say about that.

Roy hated losing but he also had ice in his veins. Maybe it's unfair to Elvis because he has played better this year but I have no faith he is ever going to make the big save when it's needed. In the best Bob years I felt nobody was going to beat him when we needed the save (in the regular season). Elvis does not give off that same confidence.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Elvis Merzlikins has not requested a trade from Blue Jackets, but says there ‘has to be a new scenario’

Merzlikins said that "being made the No. 3 goaltender" surprised him. "I just want to be treated as a No. 1," he said.

theathletic.com

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen, reached at the club’s scouting meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., would not comment on whether or not the club is trying to actively pursue a trade for Merzlkins. He made it sound as if Merzlikins could play his way back into his old role with Columbus.

“Either he plays well and becomes a No. 1 goaltender, as his skill level should be, or we’ll find someone else,” Kekäläinen said. “As I’ve said, he’s got to work on things to get back into the net and keep it.

I'm really confused here. I thought this wasn't performance related and they just wanted to see if Tarasov can do the job?

And then Jarmo is out here basically saying he got demoted and he can earn his way back into the job.

PV and Jarmo had better get their stories straight.

Here is a news flash: Elvis has been playing better than either Martin or Tarasov on a team with an expected goals against of 1 that has given up the 4th most goals in the league. Is he Veizna caliber right now? no, but he has played his way into being a competent goalie in most situations.

Is Jarmo trying to now blame goaltending for the team's struggles?

 

[NotCommitted]

“Either he plays well and becomes a No. 1 goaltender, as his skill level should be, or we’ll find someone else,” Kekäläinen said. “As I’ve said, he’s got to work on things to get back into the net and keep it.

Yeah what is this, it's not like he lost the job to a pair of goalies who are playing better? And his numbers are fine, he basically has average numbers in a below average team. Now I can easily imagine Elvis being a problem guy but this could just as well be about the sideburns.

 

[Jovavic]

So did he really have an illness those times he had to leave the game and then went on IR?

 

[Long Live Lyle]

So did he really have an illness those times he had to leave the game and then went on IR?

That’s what I find weird: first of all, it would’ve seemed like an overreaction if his last game was the Wilson game, but at least it would’ve been clear why.

But he came back and started a game after that, but left after the first period due to “illness”, and now hasn’t played since. Was he actually sick, but the team’s mad/frustrated at him for not playing through it? Or did something happen between him and the team and/or coaches in the first intermission (he did allow two goals, so it wasn’t a perfectly smooth period) and “illness” is a cover up? The whole thing is strange.

 

[Cowumbus]

 

[Cheddarcheese]

The fans that wanted this, you're gonna be sorry when he excels with another team.

What a clustered***

i agree 100% with you Elvis is top goalie on a playoff team

 

[Jedub]

Wow. You guys just can't catch a break can you. Dubois, Laine, now Elvis, just to name a few.

 

[Indy18]

I was so proud of Elvis the other day taking no comments from the media then this happens /sigh. I am sorry but this is diva level material. If you have a problem with playtime and such keep that in house. This comes across as further "me me me" comments like "I am gonna win a Vezina" or "It was all my doing this summer (in regards to the comment in a media interview asking if the new CBJ goalie coach helped him get his game back)". I am sure the players, especially the other two goalies, LOVE seeing this aired out in the public to see like we don't have enough issues this year. Feels like this was a knee jerk reaction to yesterday and Elvis ran to the media to make sure he is traded sooner than later. Nobody wants this type of stuff lingering around, especially in a locker room.

 

[majormajor]

A divorce is probably best for both sides. I like the guy and his character, and like others have said he’s played pretty well this year, but there’s been an obvious disconnect with him and the team ever since Legace left that has gotten untenable ever since the capitals game.

I think this goes way further back than Legace's dismissal. A year ago we were talking about death threats with fans and Elvis' family. It got very weird and very bad. Not long before that we were talking about PTSD from the cannon blasts.

I was so proud of Elvis the other day taking no comments from the media then this happens /sigh. I am sorry but this is diva level material. If you have a problem with playtime and such keep that in house. This comes across as further "me me me" comments like "I am gonna win a Vezina" or "It was all my doing this summer (in regards to the comment in a media interview asking if the new CBJ goalie coach helped him get his game back)". I am sure the players, especially the other two goalies, LOVE seeing this aired out in the public to see like we don't have enough issues this year. Feels like this was a knee jerk reaction to yesterday and Elvis ran to the media to make sure he is traded sooner than later. Nobody wants this type of stuff lingering around, especially in a locker room.

That part wasn't even newsworthy though. Of course he wants to play and thinks he should be #1. He certainly hasn't been outplayed by anyone.

The newsworthy part is that they have an agreement to move him when they can, which seems like it might be a longstanding agreement.

The weirdest quote of the day is Jarmo talking like Elvis' level of play has been the problem. That's been the only surprising thing I've read today.

 

[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

What's the most annoying to me is that this dirty laundry is now all in the public. We just had a great example of how to deal with this stuff when Anaheim and Philly did their Gauthier and Drysdale deal. That's how it should go. Leave these comments for after-the-trade. If this was supposed to make any GM covet Elvis more, I think they misjudged...

 

[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

The fans that wanted this, you're gonna be sorry when he excels with another team.

Maybe it's a Stockholm syndrome or something but I genuinely want Elvis to do well with another team (as long as it's not in the Metro, perhaps). He's upped his value a bit with his play this year so maybe there are some takers (future considerations or a little less, or some package deal).

 

[Cyclones Rock]

“Last year, I felt awful. From four goals, three were mine. And I felt bad because I let down the guys. Here, (this season,) we are working hard. The results are not coming, but I believe they can come. It’s not up to me why we aren’t better on the power play. I’m honest, I don’t even understand what they are doing on the power play. It’s not my job.”

This had me literally LOL. Elvis is just too straightforward relative to norms.

CBJ management lacks the ability to deal with too many players. Jarmo-and this seems so obvious to me-lacks people skills/emotional intelligence and JD is just a polished con man.

 

[Marioesque]

“Last year, I felt awful. From four goals, three were mine. And I felt bad because I let down the guys. Here, (this season,) we are working hard. The results are not coming, but I believe they can come. It’s not up to me why we aren’t better on the power play. I’m honest, I don’t even understand what they are doing on the power play. It’s not my job.”

This had me literally LOL. Elvis is just too straightforward relative to norms.

CBJ management lacks the ability to deal with too many players. Jarmo-and this seems so obvious to me-lacks people skills/emotional intelligence and JD is just a polished con man.

I totally agree with Elvis there. This team would have a lot more wins if they had a working PP consistently. It shouldn't be this bad when Laine is out and it certainly shouldn't be under 25% when he is in. But this coaching has not done a whole lot about it yet.

 

[majormajor]

What's the most annoying to me is that this dirty laundry is now all in the public. We just had a great example of how to deal with this stuff when Anaheim and Philly did their Gauthier and Drysdale deal. That's how it should go. Leave these comments for after-the-trade. If this was supposed to make any GM covet Elvis more, I think they misjudged...

It was already out. I don't get why people think this is new. We had a much worse situation last year with Elvis and the team, he would have been traded then if he wasn't so bad.

The part that confuses me is why Jarmo would be dragging Elvis' play, both because he's been good and because he's supposed to be trying to trade him. Maybe Jarmo is just a dope.

Maybe it's a Stockholm syndrome or something but I genuinely want Elvis to do well with another team (as long as it's not in the Metro, perhaps). He's upped his value a bit with his play this year so maybe there are some takers (future considerations or a little less, or some package deal).

I'd be rooting for him to succeed.

“Last year, I felt awful. From four goals, three were mine. And I felt bad because I let down the guys. Here, (this season,) we are working hard. The results are not coming, but I believe they can come. It’s not up to me why we aren’t better on the power play. I’m honest, I don’t even understand what they are doing on the power play. It’s not my job.”

This had me literally LOL. Elvis is just too straightforward relative to norms.

CBJ management lacks the ability to deal with too many players. Jarmo-and this seems so obvious to me-lacks people skills/emotional intelligence and JD is just a polished con man.

Did he say that today?

True or not, you can't have a player ripping on other aspects of the team.

Though if this is his response to Jarmo seemingly dragging Elvis' play, then I can somewhat understand Elvis' frustration.

 

[MoeBartoli]

“Last year, I felt awful. From four goals, three were mine. And I felt bad because I let down the guys. Here, (this season,) we are working hard. The results are not coming, but I believe they can come. It’s not up to me why we aren’t better on the power play. I’m honest, I don’t even understand what they are doing on the power play. It’s not my job.”

This had me literally LOL. Elvis is just too straightforward relative to norms.

CBJ management lacks the ability to deal with too many players. Jarmo-and this seems so obvious to me-lacks people skills/emotional intelligence and JD is just a polished con man.

This is another example of Jarmo lacking in emotional intelligence…..just another mess. Elvis‘ own handling of this isn’t helping but I expect the GM to handle it better than the player. Once agin Jarmo’s messaging would flunk and Management 101 course.….For me, it’s more confirmation Jarmo needs to be gone. As for Elvis. He likely needs a change of scenario too.