The Ottawa Senators have signed veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year contract paying $4 million per season.
If you’re looking for a player who got a bounce-back season exactly when they needed it most, look no further than Korpisalo. While he played like a steady tandem starter for the Columbus Blue Jackets for years, both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons were down years for the normally reliable Finn, as he posted save percentages (SV%) well off his regular pace and well below .900.
However, in 2022-23, he got things back on track again. While Columbus was certainly not a good team, Korpisalo at times made them look better than they were. He posted an 11-11-3 record in 28 starts, which is outstanding considering the franchise finished with just 25 wins on the season. This solid play led to him being dealt at the 2023 Trade Deadline to the Los Angeles Kings, who were in desperate need of goaltending.
While playing in L.A., Korpisalo upped his game even more, as he went 7-3-1 in 11 regular season starts, posting a .921 SV%. While he wasn’t able to carry the Kings past the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the playoffs, he still looked like a starter that had a lot left in his tank at just 29 years old, which made him a prime target in free agency.
What Korpisalo Brings to the Senators
In recent years, the Senators have struggled to find consistent goaltending, and the moves they made to fix this issue have often made the situation worse instead of better. However, the 2023 offseason gave the franchise a chance to completely reset their tandem, as their previous starters were set to move on in free agency.
Signing Korpisalo to a five-year contract is a bit of a risk, of course. While he can be a reliable player, he has also dealt with injuries that slowed his career at times, especially a nagging hip injury that can be blamed for his rough 2021-22 season. However, after that surgery and recovery was completed, he got back to form and looked great the following year, which led to this big contract.
If Korpisalo continues playing like he did this previous season, his $4 million cap hit will be a steal in the short term because he can be that starter in Ottawa. As long as they get a solid backup in order to not overuse him, then I definitely believe that he can steady their net.
However, it’s hard to not look at a deal like this and think of Matt Murray. Five-plus-year contracts require a lot to go well in order to keep them from looking like a disaster. In the long-term, there is risk involved with this kind of deal, but for the next two to three seasons Korpisalo should give the Senators exactly what they need to take that next step toward reaching the playoffs.
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