Joonas Korpisalo’s kilometers in Columbus seem to be full. The goalkeeper needs a start in a new environment to turn his NHL career on the rise.
The NHL transfer window will close in two and a half weeks. Prior to that, Columbus Blue Jackets goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo likely to change landscape.
Korpisalo, 27, has represented Columbus for seven seasons. Jarmo Kekäläinen However, the club led by the Finnish watchdog is expected to trade somewhere else soon.
The reasons for the potential player trade are clear and traditional NHL business.
Korpisalo’s contract expires in the summer and he will become an unlimited free agent. Thus, for the first time in his career, a goalkeeper can compete in the free market and choose his employer himself.
For this reason, Kekäläinen should trade Korpisalo now if it intends to receive even some compensation for the Finn it has grown.
The extension agreement is out of the question, as Columbus signed a five-year extension agreement with Korpisalo’s Latvian partner earlier this autumn. To Elvis Merzlikins. Korpisalo and Merzlikins went from a long time before the goalkeeper started the race.
Korpisalo is well aware of his own situation. The transfer can come on any day.
– This has been a reality for a long time, but it is no longer possible to spin it in the mind or it will go crazy here. Maybe from the beginning of the season this had to be thought of a little more. Now let’s see what happens or if anything happens, Korpisalo tells Urheilu.
Of course, it is also possible that nothing will happen.
The last few years have been difficult for the Jokers to breed, as can be seen directly from the statistics. For the previous two seasons, Korpisalo is ranked 62nd in the NHL’s rebate percentage and 61st in the statistics of goals conceded. There are 63 goalkeepers in these statistics (all playing at least 25 matches).
In advanced statistics, the situation is similar. In the GSAA statistics, which measure the number of goals saved by the goalkeeper relative to the league average, Korpisalo is in the frost by more than 20 hits. The reading is the second lowest in the entire NHL when the limit is taken to be 1,000 minutes played.
Korpisalo has played well from time to time, but there has been a lack of evenness.
– It’s been quite a couple of years here. I haven’t gotten everything out of myself that I would have liked. There has been room for good games, but then worse again. I am not at all happy with the last few years. I have not been able to be at the level where I can be, Korpisalo admits.
At the same time, Korpisalo has been crawling to play, which he has talked about before.
– I’ve had to try too hard. I couldn’t let the job just roll with my own weight. Yes, it has been quite frustrating at times when things have not gone as hoped.
Miles full
It has already seemed that Korpisalo’s kilometers in Columbus have simply come to an end. Korpisalo emerged fabulously through injuries completely unexpectedly in the 2015–16 season, but over the years the curve has begun to show downwards.
At the same time, it feels like the mental load has grown steadily over the years. The competitive situation with Merzlikins has certainly been reflected at some level in Korpisalo’s play, and this is not even disputed. The last nail for making Korpisalo was probably the follow-up agreement made by the club to a Latvian in September.
– When Elvis got that deal, it got a bit of a feeling that Korpisalo says.
– The agreement must have been on some level of the subconscious, but it is part of this. That is why I am not starting to come up with or go for explanations. It’s pretty clear that if you play well enough, you play almost every night.
After all, Korpisalo’s career is crying out for a new beginning and opportunity in a new environment. Fortunately for Finns, Korpisalo is still considered a very potential goalkeeper in NHL circles.
Korpisalo has never had anything but good to say about Columbus. However, the goals are high, so a fresh start is needed.
– After all, my own situation has been a bit like this in recent years, with a year or two of contracts. No longer-term commitment has been made here. However, the goal itself is to be a starting goalkeeper and I fully believe in that. I have never questioned my abilities. I will have a chance somewhere.
Until the end
However, Korpisalo is still a Columbus player. He hasn’t played due to a lower body injury for over a month, but will do his best for the club as long as he represents it.
Korpisalo if who has been an extremely good team player for Columbus. He never puts his own advantage ahead of the team, whatever the situation.
This is definitely something that is valued in the company led by Kekäläinen. Therefore, the club management will probably do their best to help Korpisalo take the next place in his career.
– Columbus is my team until they say otherwise. I put everything in the league until the end. It has always been really important for you to be a good teammate and a player who puts everything in play and supports others. These are important values and I hope the rest of the gang will notice it, Korpisalo says.
– I’ve always liked this place and the club a lot. It’s nice to be here and I’ve gotten to know people well. There is nothing but good to be said about this company.