The Edmonton Oilers might be heading into free agency with a real plan in net, and one name just got dropped from a trusted source.
Insider Frank Seravalli told Oilers Now this week that his best guess for an Edmonton addition in the next 72 hours is goaltender Elvis Merzlikins.
That came after host Bob Stauffer asked panelists for a single best guess on who the Oilers might add via free agency or trade.
Merzlikins, 32, is a left-catching goalie out of Riga, Latvia, drafted by Columbus in the third round back in 2014.
This season with the Blue Jackets he posted a .883 save percentage across 30 games, a number that won't turn heads on its own.
But over his NHL career, Merzlikins carries a .900 save percentage and a 3.22 GAA across 274 games with Columbus.
That track record matters more than this year's dip, especially for a team still searching for stability between the pipes.
Why Edmonton's crease situation pushes this rumor forward
The Oilers currently run three goalies through their crease this season. Tristan Jarry sits at .882 across 33 games, Connor Ingram at .898 in 32 outings, and Calvin Pickard at .870 in 16.
None of those numbers scream long-term answer, and that's the real story here.
Edmonton sits at 41-30-11 on the season with 93 points, good for second in their division.
A team built to win now doesn't get to gamble on shaky goaltending heading into the stretch.
Adding a goalie with Merzlikins' career save percentage would be the equivalent of upgrading your tires right before a long highway drive. You might not need it every mile, but you'll be glad it's there when the weather turns.
Is this a perfect fit? Not necessarily. Merzlikins struggled through a rough 2025-26 in Columbus, and pairing him with a crowded crease in Edmonton raises real questions about who actually starts in the playoffs.
That's the tension nobody on Oilers Now addressed Monday night.
For now, this is speculation from one insider giving his best guess on a 72-hour window. Stauffer himself framed it as exactly that, a guess, not a confirmed pursuit.
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But when a name like Merzlikins gets floated this specifically, teams around the league start paying attention. The next few days will tell us if Edmonton's front office was actually thinking the same thing.
Would Elvis Merzlikins actually fix the Oilers' goalie problem?
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