Merzlikins Surgery Reshapes Cleveland's Goalie Plan

A September 6 opening-night roster projection said Pheonix Copley had likely been signed for an AHL assignment in Cleveland before Elvis Merzlikins' shoulder surgery changed the picture.

With Elvis Merzlikins recovering from shoulder surgery and no clear timetable for his return, Copley now projects as the Blue Jackets' backup on opening night rather than a Monsters starter, according to a projection of the club's opening night roster published September 6, 2026. Jet Greaves is slotted as the No. 1 in Columbus, which leaves Copley with limited work early and leaves Cleveland's crease without the veteran it likely expected to have.

Columbus is scheduled to open the season at home against Buffalo on Oct. 1.

The other AHL thread running through the same projection is Luca Del Bel Belluz, who scored at better than a point per game in Cleveland last season and is now pushing for his first full NHL season. The projection has him centering the fourth line between Ryan Lomberg and Dmitri Voronkov, which would be a considerable amount of skill for a bottom-six unit. Voronkov, per the same piece, led the NHL last season with 10 tip-in goals, giving Del Bel Belluz a net-front target to work with.

Del Bel Belluz has done what an AHL scorer is supposed to do. The question the projection raises is how his game translates when he is asked to hold a roster spot for 84 games instead of earning a callup.

Goaltending depth is the piece worth watching in Cleveland. If Copley stays in Columbus through Merzlikins' recovery, the Monsters will need someone else to carry the load, and the timeline on that is tied entirely to a shoulder injury for which the club had not set a return date in its August 20 announcement.