The Ottawa Senators newest goaltender Joonas Korpisalo will do fine if a plan is created and the defence execute in front of him.
Joonas Korpisalo is the goalie of the future for the Ottawa Senators. Notice we did not say, ‘How long in the future.’ Honestly, at $4M per year, who cares? The Sens have a competent NHL backstopper and here we review how and why we can make that conclusion. Of course, there is one topic to consider, and that is how many games can Korpisalo play. Well, there is always an exception to the rule, and in the following case, Martin Brodeur is our exception. But yeah, let’s get into it.
The Tandem of Ottawa Senators Goalies Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg
Korpisalo was an underrated pickup for General Manager Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators. Korpisalo and Swedish tendie Anton Forsberg have teamed up before for the Lake Erie Monsters. The tandem were monsters when they captured the 2016 Calder Cup Championship. Moreover, it can never be understated for two things: i) players that won a championship together ii.) players that won together in the AHL, before developing into NHLers. One successful comparison is the 2004-05 season, and we look at Mike Richards, Patrick Sharp, and Jeff Carter as examples. All three suited up for the Calder Cup Champion Philadelphia Fantoms that season. Now they did not quite win the Stanley Cup together, but in 2010 they all made the finals. Sharp playing with the Chicago Blackhawks at the time would win, but the other two came close as runners-up with the Philadelphia Flyers. The point is players that have success together in the AHL can translate that to the NHL.
What Should Be the Upper Limit for the Ottawa Senators and Korpisalo?
Besides the point of the potential for a special bond between the goaltenders, the fact remains this is 2023, and the Senators need a goaltender. Korpisalo played 39 games last year. The problem is to not overextend him and schedule him for 45 games. One example is the Boston Bruins utilizing Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman tandem. Furthermore, journey back to the mid-90s Florida Panthers. Everyone remembers the All-Star performances pitched by John Vanbiesbrouck. However, the Panthers, in particular under Head Coach Doug MacLean, always employed a pre-determined two-goalie system. You may recall in the Florida Panthers run to the 1996 finals, the backup that year was Mark Fitzpatrick. Alex Auld is another example. He was progressing fine, but before the 2005-06 NHL season, he had appeared in 14 NHL games. Then, in that season, he had 67 games for the Vancouver Canucks. No wonder they missed the playoffs.
Now, finally, we get to Brodeur, and why he is the exception to this rule. When we remember Brodeur, we think of the days of Scott Clemmensen or even until Cory Schneider. The point is, the goalies could not get enough NHL action to develop. Brodeur was notorious for playing 70 games or more. As we may recall, it wasn’t always this way, from 1994-95 to 1995-96, Marty went from 40 games to 77 games played. Well, unfortunately, our example is not quite accurate if you dig a little deeper. Brodeur, in 1994-95, oh yeah, won Lord Stanley’s Holy Grail. So, add to his 40 regular season games 20 playoff matchups for a total of 60 games. Therefore, maybe even in the exception to the rule, Brodeur, the important conclusion is that goalies’ development are no different than players. You just need to give them more opportunities slowly, gradually, and purposefully.
The Future is Coming On
The main point so far is two-fold, give the goalies a schedule and do not overplay them. It would be a bonus to be able to give the two young gun prospects, Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen some action. If you can play them enough games to improve last year’s total (and still make the playoffs), the Sens rebuild or player development strategy would be light years ahead.
Will Korpisalo Repeat His 2022-23 for the Sens?
For Korpisalo, it seems the ideal strategy is to play him around 45 games. He will be well-rested, and he needs to win those games. It doesn’t matter how, just that he does. Even though not in Columbus, when he was traded to Los Angeles in 2022-23 at the deadline, he did show the ability to exhibit a strong winning percentage. Additionally, Korpisalo has established himself as a solid option, posting a career .904 SV%. You could argue, that John Tortorella and his defensive system as credit for those numbers. However, he has been able to maintain so consistently. Also, the Sens are optimistic that their defensive studs can provide a shutdown system. Having figures like Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, Artem Zub, and Jake Sanderson will make it difficult for teams to generate offence. Head Coach D.J. Smith may be able to consider himself a bit of a defensive guru as a result.
A Look at the Numbers Behind the Mask
Goalie Stats in GSAx (minimum 10 games played in 2022-23)
1st-Jusse Saros – 46.7
2nd-Linus Ullmark – 42.4
11th-Joonas Korpisalo – 12.7
19th-Anton Forsberg – 8.1
Taking a deep dive into the numbers and we see the Sens fanbase should have something to look forward to in Korpisalo. Both Forsberg and he cracked the top 20 in GSAx across the entire NHL. Now, some may point at Forsberg as having an easier schedule than Cam Talbot. Conversely, when Talbot missed the first month of the season, Forsberg played almost all the games. He registered a 3-5 record before Talbot returned from injury on November 3rd. In addition, Korpisalo had a great all-around season for himself statistically. He finished with an 18-14-4, despite playing on a dismal Columbus Blue Jackets until the trade to Hollywood. He had a respectable 2.87 GAA, given last season’s oft-inflated GAA league-wide. Finally, his .914 SV% was notably above his career pace. Hence, it is likely that Korpisalo, at 29, like much of the Sens current roster, is near the pinnacle of their career trajectory. We know goalies tend to develop more slowly than their skater counterparts, so maybe now is the time for Korpisalo and his new team.
Main Photo Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
