Columbus Blue Jackets: Expect More Korpisalo Starts
By William Espy
The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender has started half of the games to start the season.
Joonas Korpisalo is a subject of interest for the Columbus Blue Jackets for many reasons. He’s going to likely be contending for the starting goaltender spot assuming that current starter Sergei Bobrovsky moves on to another team in free agency.
On top of potentially contending for the starting role next season, Korpisalo is also in a contract year as a restricted free agent. The Blue Jackets have yet to see enough from Korpisalo to see what a fair contract for the 24-year-old would be for next season.
If the Blue Jackets are planning on keeping Bobrovsky for the rest of this season, it’s worth reducing his work load and seeing how he performs in the playoffs with a lessened amount of starts.
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Korpisalo won’t start 41 games and split it evenly with Bobrovsky. He might start closer to 30 however, giving Bobrovsky closer to 50 games instead of 60. Showing trust in Korpisalo could lead to higher quality goaltending as a result of higher confidence. Despite having a fairly low save percentage, Korpisalo has played well this season for the most part.
Playing Korpisalo against the relatively “weaker” Florida Panthers made much more sense than playing him against the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning. Saving Bobrovsky for the better team keeps him fresh, despite his work horse mentality.
Putting pressure on Bobrovsky to perform in a contract year is also an important aspect of this experiment. If he feels at risk for losing his starting job, which would never happen, he may play with a sense of desperation and have another superstar level season.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are actually using their backup goaltender for the first time in years and as a result it gives management and the fans a sense of the true “State of the Union Blue” in net.