The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without injured goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for the rest of the season. Korpisalo is a solid tandem goalie for the Blue Jackets, and is a veteran presence on the young team. It was announced early on Thursday that he will require surgery for a hip injury.
#CBJ G Joonas Korpisalo to undergo hip surgery; Goaltender will miss rest of the 2021-22 season.https://t.co/IInGuzkWxD
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 24, 2022
Joonas Korpisalo Out With Hip Injury
While not having the best season of his career, Korpisalo is still an important part of the Blue Jackets. He provides another goaltending option to go alongside Elvis Merzlikins for the team. He also brings some playoff experience to the team. The Finnish goalie is currently on an expiring contract that will make him a free agent this offseason.
So far this season, Korpisalo has a below-average 4.15 GAA and a .877 save percentage in 22 games played. He has split the net with Merzlikins this season. Both goalies have struggled in net, although the latter has had a slightly better season so far. Korpisalo has had some great performances in recent seasons for the team, including a series-saving performance against the Maple Leafs in the 2020 playoffs.
What This Means For the Blue Jackets
Although not completely out of it, it is unlikely that the Blue Jackets make the playoffs this season. With a young and exciting team, they will hope to make it next season. An interesting offseason awaits the franchise, as they need to decide whether or not Korpisalo will be a part of their future. They recently gave Merzlikins a massive contract extension, so it seems like he might be the #1 option going forward. Regardless, the injured Joonas Korpisalo may still be re-signed as a backup or could seek a new contract elsewhere.
With Korpisalo out, the Blue Jackets will likely give the net fully to Merzlikins in one final push for the playoffs. The team currently sits fifth place in the Metropolitan division, with 67 points.
