With the question mark in net for the Oilers right now, they have been looking around the league for either a guaranteed starter, or someone who could challenge Stuart skinner for his role for some healthy competition. According to Aaron Portzline, one guy that fits the bill for the Oilers could have just become available to the market.
Elvis Merzlikins has consistently been a decent starter for the Blue Jackets, putting up an average of 900 sv% over the last three years on the Jackets, even despite having the worst statistical defence in front of him in the 2022-23 season. He is a goalie who has a lot of experience taking on a high workload on a game to game basis, and is used to facing 35+ shots a night.
Merzlikins would be a very interesting fit for the Oilers, as he could be a mentor for Skinner, and could fill in to split the load with Skinner. He carries a $5.4M cap hit for this year and the next 3 years, so the cap hit is obviously not favourable for a team like the Oilers.
The cap hit however offers the Oilers a possible out from under the Campbell contract. If they swap these contracts, it could remove the need for the Oilers to have to give up a first and more just to offload that contract. It would also give them a good NHL caliber goalie for right now, while the Blue Jackets could take on a possible project like Campbell since they are entering a rebuild regardless. It would be interesting to see something like this happen, but could end up being a steal for the Oilers if Merzlikins ends up playing much better when he sheds the terrible defence in front of him.
