Curtis McElhinney of the Columbus Blue Jackets is now done for the 2015-16 season, as he is set to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday. At 11 AM on Saturday Morning, Joonas Korpisalo was, once again, recalled from the AHL-affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.
Curtis McElhinney Done for Season
McElhinney was injured during a practice session on Friday afternoon, and it’s just another injury on a long list of injuries for the Columbus goaltenders this season. Sergei Bobrovsky, who was announced to start for his third straight game against the New Jersey Devils, has also seen his fair share of time off the ice due to injuries. These injuries have been a sad note on the season for the Blue Jackets, but have also provided hope for the future for the organization in the form of Joonas Korpisalo.
Curtis McElhinney will miss the rest of the season due to knee surgery. #CBJ
DETAILS → https://t.co/Mtm67KpTEb pic.twitter.com/vImCYm4FPm
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 19, 2016
Due to the longevity and frequency of the injuries this season to both McElhinney and Bobrovsky, Korpisalo has moved himself into a weird category with the organization and fan base. It is apparent that, at this time, the Blue Jackets see Bobrovsky as their starter and didn’t want to see Korpisalo losing ice time by sitting on the bench, so they sent the young man back to Cleveland to be the starter for the Monsters. This creates a precarious situation, as much of the fan base has argued that Korpisalo is fully deserving of being awarded the starting position between the pipes, even when Bobrovsky is healthy.
For now, it remains unclear whether the organization will move forward with Bobrovsky or Korpisalo as their starting goalie into the off-season. However, one thing is for sure, and that is that having two players fighting for a spot will create only good things for the team moving forward. It seems that head coach John Tortorella is opting to split time down the stretch of the season between the two of them and the fans will just have to wait until the off-season to see what decision they make, and where the team goes from here.
#CBJ have recalled Joonas Korpisalo on an emergency basis —> https://t.co/EQx8OYmxAt
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) March 19, 2016
The one point that most will take from the injury to McElhinney is that, due to the high level of play from Korpisalo, he could be out of a job in Columbus by the start of next season. McElhinney has played in 18 games this season for the Blue Jackets and has a record of 2-7-3 to go along with a 3.31 GAA and an .890 save percentage, numbers that surely won’t due him any favors in arguing for his job.
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