The five-year contract brings Joonas Korpisalo much-needed peace of mind.
The NHL’s free agent market opened on Saturday and the goaltender who had an excellent season in Columbus and Los Angeles last season Joonas Korpisalo, 29, had to wait a long time for a new contract to emerge. Just a few hours after the window opened, Korpisalo had signed a five-year contract with the Ottawa Senators.
The new contract guarantees the Finn an income of no less than 20 million yen.
– Everything happened quite suddenly, Korpisalo recently told Urheilu.
– The market opened and we were pretty much on the phone all the time. There were a few clubs in it, and through an agent, we thought about what to do. In the end, everything happened quickly and the contract with Ottawa was born.
Korpisalo will have the third NHL club of his career from Ottawa, which is making a new rise. Korpisalo started in Columbus in the 2015-2016 season and was traded to Los Angeles last spring.
According to Korpisalo, the choice was easy.
– Of course, it seemed that they agreed to a longer contract. It also tells about what they think of me. I got the feeling that they really want me there as a big piece. There is a team full of good players and the club is going in a good direction, which was having an impact. I also heard good things about the club and the coaching.
New situation
The situation is new for Korpisalo, as a long and valuable contract makes the Finn Ottawa’s clear number one goalkeeper. The Pori-born bodyguard gets a familiar man, a Swede, as his partner by Anton Forsberg. A few years ago, the two won the AHL championship together in Cleveland as Columbus contract players.
– Of course, the five-year deal brings some kind of peace of mind, but this doesn’t change anything in the endgame. Nothing is promised or set in stone. In the same way, you have to pull the fire under your ass here as before. There is a good goalkeeper competing for playing time with me, Korpisalo reminds.
Finns are not afraid of competition.
– I have always gotten the best out of myself when the competition is fierce and fair so that the best man plays.
For Korpisalo, the new long contract can also be thought of as some kind of reward for hard work. Korpisalo, who had been sidelined for a long time amid hip surgeries and other difficulties, was really in his best mood for three years, but last season he found a new level for his game and a completely new direction for his career – in the last year of the contract at the time of the count.
– The faith never stopped, even though there was hip surgery and other things. Yes, it seemed quite difficult at times.
In the end, it has always gone well, and last season especially when my body and mind were in good shape, Korpisalo laughs.
– Now the new contract brings security in such a way that you can really focus only on hockey and not think about anything else. With that in mind, this deal was a damn good deal.
Rising of the East
Ottawa as a team is one of the rising stars of the Eastern Conference. The group can be found Tim Stutzlen, Brady Tkachuk and by Thomas Chabot like quality younger players as well as several other good pieces. The club, which has been operating in the lower floors for a long time, is expected to knock on the playoff gates in earnest soon.
– There’s a really good team there and it’s constantly getting better. It’s great to be a part of this growth story. This team will
to fight for a playoff spot and success.