Unrestricted free agent winger Lauri Korpikoski hasn’t been able to build upon the offensive potential he displayed earlier in his career with the Coyotes but he has still successfully carved out a bottom six niche role over the past few years. Despite being a safe bet for around 20 points in a lower spot in the lineup, he has yet to land somewhere for 2017-18.
Last year, he hit the free agent market a year earlier than expected as the Oilers opted to buy him out of the final year of his contract instead of carrying a $2.5MM cap hit. He wound up joining Dallas on a one-year, $1MM deal and fared relatively well for an injury-laden Stars team, picking up 20 points (8-12-20) in 60 games before being flipped to Columbus at the trade deadline. Things didn’t go as well for Korpikoski with his new team as he was a frequent healthy scratch and got into just nine regular season games (and zero in the postseason) which certainly doesn’t help his cause.
While the hit stat isn’t entirely consistent from team-to-team, it’s at least worth noting that his physical play dropped considerably last season. While his career average in hits per game is a little over 1.5, he checked in at barely over half of one per night in 2016-17. It’s easier to make a case for earning a contract as a bottom six player if a player can show there’s a physical element to their game but that’s something Korpikoski can’t say this time around.
Where the 31-year-old can hang his hat is on his ability to play the penalty kill and his speed. Those are elements that can still get a player a regular spot in the lineup and between that and a consistent level of production in that role, he should be able to land a deal between now and the start of the season.
Potential Suitors
Two types of teams fit the bill. The first is a team lacking in depth that can use Korpikoski for a few months until a younger player is ready to come up from the minors that would then flip him at the deadline. The usual suspects come to mind, including Florida, New Jersey, and even his old organization in Arizona where he had the most success of his career.
The other type is more of a veteran team that could use him as a 12th/13th forward to start or who is facing a cap crunch and need cheaper depth. Washington is certainly a team that needs some veteran forwards and will be looking for bargains to fill out their fourth line and Korpikoski would fit in nicely. Minnesota, which is where we projected him to sign, is a team that typically covets veteran depth and he’d hedge against some of their youngsters not being ready for full-time duty right away.
Projected Contract
Back in June, Korpikoski landed the 48th slot in our Top 50 Free Agents with a one-year, $800K contract. With the minimum salary rising to $650K this season, the pre-camp PTO agreements will likely come in around $800K so that’s still a reasonable target as he can’t realistically land much more than that. As the market has hit its annual lull, he may have to wait a while yet to find his next team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.