The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they have signed young back-up goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year contract extension. Korpisalo will be with the Blue Jackets through the 2018-19 NHL season with this extension.
This is a sigh of relief for many of the Fifth Liners, as Korpisalo was set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. Now the only thing to worry about is whether or not the Vegas Golden Knights will select Korpisalo in the upcoming expansion draft.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Joonas Korpisalo to Two-Year Contract Extension
Joonas Korpisalo burst onto the scene with the Blue Jackets during the 2015-16 season. Stepping in for injured starter Sergei Bobrovsky, he went 16-11-4 in 31 starts with a 2.60 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. Korpisalo showcased his ability to change a game, and it has left many wondering just how high his developmental ceiling might be.
#CBJ sign Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year contract extension.https://t.co/9SjeLCYtUV
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 9, 2017
Korpisalo experienced injury issues out of training camp, seemingly slowing his game down a bit. It took him a while to get his skates underneath him, and even when he did he struggled on occasion. Korpisalo ended this season as the full-time back-up goaltender, primarily due to the fact that Anton Forsberg was unable to grab his opportunity in the NHL yet again.
Korpisalo finished the 2016-17 NHL season with a 7-5-1 record, a 2.88 goals against average, and a .905 save percentage. These numbers are a bit worrisome, but with such a small sample size they shouldn’t be anything to cause too much concern.
Re-signing Korpisalo for the next two seasons is a great move for the Blue Jackets, as Korpisalo will very likely serve as the full-time back-up moving forward. Having a goalie with that type of potential to back up Vezina Trophy contender Bobrovsky is a very good problem to have, and one that allows the Jackets to shift their focus to other areas of the ice.
Other Extensions
Along with Korpisalo, the Blue Jackets signed defenseman Dean Kukan and center Zac Dalpe to extensions as well. Kukan signed a one-year, two-way contract and Dalpe signed a two-year, two-way contract.
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