Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Joonas Korpisalo

Blue Jackets Fielding Offers On Joonas Korpisalo And Elvis Merzlikins

at CDT | by 7 Comments

With several teams looking to bolster their goaltending for next season, they’ve evidently paid attention to a team that has a pair of good youngsters in Columbus.  In the latest Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Blue Jackets are listening to offers on both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins.

The decision to not replace Sergei Bobrovsky (who signed with Florida in free agency last summer) with a veteran carried some risk given Korpisalo’s inexperience and the fact that Merzlikins had yet to play in the NHL.  However, it proved to be a great call as Columbus allowed the third-fewest goals in the league this season and both netminders took turns carrying the workload.

Merzlikins had the better numbers between the two with a 2.35 GAA and a .923 SV% while Korpisalo checked in at 2.60 and .911 respectively but he had the slightly bigger workload with 35 starts compared to 31 for Merzlikins.  He also received the majority of the starts in the playoffs, getting nine of the ten games and played quite well, posting a 1.96 GAA and a .941 SV%.  Along the way, he set an NHL record for saves in a playoff game with 85.

This is a situation where Columbus can comfortably wait things out if they don’t get the price they’re looking for.  The 26-year-olds are signed for two more years (Korpisalo at $4MM, Merzlikins at $2.8MM), a more than affordable tandem compared to many others around the league.  Considering that both are still inexperienced, there’s value in keeping both around as well, especially with an expectation of a more compressed schedule for 2020-21.

Having said that, the trade value for both of their goalies should be pretty high considering how they played this season and their affordable contracts so the time for GM Jarmo Kekalainen to strike could very well be now if he can get his price.  LeBrun notes that the price appears to be a top-six center that would play behind pending restricted free agent Pierre-Luc Dubois.

If Columbus winds up moving either Korpisalo or Merzlikins, there is certainly no shortage of available free agent goalies that they could choose from while they could also opt to promote from within again and give Matiss Kivlenieks the number two spot.  The pending restricted free agent played in six NHL games this season and would come in cheaper than any free agent available, allowing them to preserve more cap room as they try to lock up Dubois to a long-term deal.

The Blue Jackets certainly don’t have to move one of their netminders but if they can use one to fill a hole that they’ve had for a few years now, it would certainly give them a boost while shaking up the rest of the goalie market in the process.

Columbus Blue Jackets Eyeing Big Splash This Off-Season

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Last off-season, no team took a bigger hit than the Columbus Blue Jackets. The club lost two of their franchise stars in forward Artemi Panarin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency, along with expensive rental forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. Panarin, Bobrovsky, and Duchene were in fact the three largest UFA contracts handed out last summer. No one expected the Blue Jackets to be able to rebound from those losses, but one year later the team knocked out a talented Toronto Maple Leafs team in the qualifying round and gave the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the NHL’s best, a run for their money in the the first round.

Columbus showed that they still have what it takes to be a contender even with last year’s major losses. The team has discovered not one but two reliable options in net, has one of the top defensive pairs in the league and solid depth behind them, and a mix of youth, experience, skill, and grit up front. If there is one thing that the Blue Jackets still lack, it is what they lost in Panarin and Duchene: elite top-six forwards. While the team has a number of young players who may grow into that role, the club does not appear content to sit in wait, instead hoping to take action this off-season. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline writes that whispers out of the organization is that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is preparing to add at least one if not two high-skill forwards this off-season, with a bona fide top-six center as the priority.

On the surface, this plan makes perfect sense. Portzline notes the Blue Jackets ranked second-to-last in forward scoring this season, which undoubtedly was partially the result of a rash of injuries up front but is still an indictment of the forward corps’ ability to produce. The team also has roughly $68MM committed to 20 players who were regular players this season with just a few restricted free agents to take care of, so there could be cap space to spare on the free agent market.

However, adding impact forwards will be easier said than done. While Columbus has approximately $13.5MM in cap space, should they opt for long-term contracts for budding top-six center Pierre-Luc Dubois and solid young defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, much of that space could be eaten up. On top of that, the team will have to make decisions on re-signing RFA forwards Josh Anderson and Devin Shore as well. If both return, the team will be right up against the cap ceiling without even touching the free agent market. They will also be facing a roster crunch with 17 players already signed to one-way contracts worth $1.6MM or more, including recent KHL import Mikhail Grigorenko but not any of the aforementioned RFA’s.

Even if the team does have space to explore the top names on the open market, they may find that no one fits their top-six center criteria. While the team will surely kick the tires on big names like Taylor Hall, Tyler Toffoli, Mike Hoffman, and Evgenii Dadonov, none of that group is a solution down the middle. The second tier also only offers players that are not necessarily natural centers: Mikael Granlund, Carl Soderberg, or even old friend Derick Brassard. Columbus’ best bet may be to target a younger, more moldable player with some center experience, such as Vladislav Namestnikov, Erik Haula, or Alex Galchenyuk. However, there really isn’t an ideal target to sure up the center position in the top six.

For both internal and external reasons, Kekalainen seems likely to explore the trade market in his efforts to add at least one of his target top-six forwards and most likely at center. Portzline also opines that this is a likely route and that the team could deal from their depth at forward or defense to make a deal. On the blue line in particular, the team will have eight experienced NHL defenseman once Gavrikov is re-signed and will likely have to thin that group. Portzline believes that David Savard would be the easiest to move, while talented but oft-injured Ryan Murray or useful Markus Nutivaara could also draw interest. Up front, the rights to Anderson or Shore could certainly be dealt and the team will likely dangle Alexander Wennberg again this off-season. The real question is whether the team would give up on a top young prospect like Emil Bemstrom, Alexandre Texier, or Liam Foudy. Portzline also believes that teams could come calling on goaltenders Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins, but dealing either one could just create another hole in the lineup.

With plenty of trade chips, the Blue Jackets could cash in on a desperate market. Given both the flat salary cap and the looming threat of the 2021 Expansion Draft, there will likely be many teams open to moving established forwards this off-season and Columbus has a much better chance of finding a true top-six center – and perhaps even another top forward – via trade. One way or another, the club has been inspired by its playoff run and has its sights set on improving immediately, so don’t be surprised to see the Blue Jackets make a big splash this summer.

Goaltending Notes: Halak, Korpisalo, Holtby

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Boston Bruins will be without their top option in goal tonight when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the round-robin. Tuukka Rask has been ruled unfit to play by head coach Bruce Cassidy, meaning Jaroslav Halak will be in net for the Bruins.

Perhaps more than any other team in the playoffs, the Bruins have prepared for a situation like this all season. Halak is much more than a backup for Boston, playing in 31 games during the shortened regular season and posting a .919 save percentage. That’s a number most teams would be happy to get from their starter, but it still is a step down from Rask’s .929. One of the advantages of being a top seed in each conference is this round-robin structure, which will allow the team to get healthy without the risk of elimination for the first week.

  • One team not in quite as strong a situation is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who start a best-of-five series against the Toronto Maple Leafs later today. The Blue Jackets have two young excellent goaltenders of their own, but head coach John Tortorella has decided to go with Joonas Korpisalo in game one. While Elvis Merzlikins may have received more press this season due to it being his first in North America, it was easy to forget that Korpisalo was actually named to the All-Star game before suffering an injury. He posted a .911 save percentage on the season but has a strong history against the Maple Leafs and much more experience at the NHL level.
  • It may not come as much of a surprise, but Braden Holtby will be in net when the Washington Capitals start their own round-robin tomorrow afternoon. Holtby will start over Vitek Vanacek according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post when the Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once Ilya Samsonov was ruled out due to injury the obvious choice was Holtby given his experience, but it is also important to remember that he was far from his dominant self this season. In fact, Holtby posted an .897 save percentage on the season, putting him 52nd among NHL goaltenders who appeared in at least 20 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Joonas Korpisalo

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Who needs Sergei Bobrovsky anyway? The Columbus Blue Jackets did just fine with their unproven goaltending tandem this season, with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins both performing at All-Star levels when they were called upon. That success requires payment however and both goaltenders were scheduled for restricted free agency this summer. You can check at least one name off the to-do list, as Korpisalo has signed a two-year extension with the Blue Jackets today. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $2.8MM and keeps Korpisalo under contract through the 2021-22 season. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen explained just why he decided to offer the contract:

Joonas had the opportunity to play a lot of games for us early in the season before he was injured and responded by playing at an All-Star level. He is a young, talented goaltender with a great work ethic and desire to succeed and we are very excited to see his continued development and improvement moving forward.

Korpisalo, 26, was given 37 starts for the Blue Jackets this season and recorded a .911 save percentage in those games—nearly equalling Bobrovsky’s numbers from a year ago. That performance earned him a selection to the All-Star game, though an injury kept him from attending. Injuries will be the question moving forward and likely will play a role in deciding which of the team’s netminders gets the majority of the games.

Having Korpisalo sign at such a low number will allow the team to keep both, assuming that the negotiation with the arbitration-eligible Merzlikins goes smoothly. Even with a stagnant salary cap the Blue Jackets should have more than enough room to operate with this tandem in place, and the fact that Merzlikins is not eligible for the Seattle expansion draft means the team could have their goaltending positions solved for some time.

It is important to remember however that even though Korpisalo may be new to the net, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract. The number may be low but the team bought out only one UFA year.

Columbus Blue Jackets Activate Joonas Korpisalo

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After an impressive performance in his first rehab start, the Columbus Blue Jackets have activated all-star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from his conditioning loan, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, giving the team a slight break amidst their long injury list that seems to have been affecting their team.

The Blue Jackets weren’t necessarily sure how long Korpisalo, who has been out since Dec. 29 with a knee injury, would need on his conditioning loan to return to top form. However, Korpisalo made 32 of 34 saves to lead the AHL Cleveland Monsters to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rochester Americans. That was enough to activate Korpisalo. The team also announced they have assigned goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks and forward Calvin Thurkauf to Cleveland. Korpisalo was not on injured reserve the entire time he was injured, but was placed on LTIR in order for the team to send him to Cleveland for his conditioning stint.

Korpisalo was a dominant player before going down with a 17-10-4 record, a 2.49 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He was named to the all-star team, but the knee injury he sustained prevented him from attending. With Korpisalo back, the Blue Jackets should have one of the top one-two tandems in the league as former backup Elvis Merzlikins has been dominant since Korpisalo went down. Merzlikins has gone 12-9-8 in Korpisalo’s place with a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Together, they should comprise a top pairing.

The team has struggled through multiple injuries and have eight players on injured reserve at the moment, including forwards Cam Atkinson, Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier and defenseman Seth Jones, Dean Kukan and Ryan Murray.

 

Joonas Korpisalo Sent To AHL On Conditioning Loan

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets have been getting Vezina-type goaltending for the last month, but haven’t even had their presumed starter healthy. Elvis Merzlikins took over the net and is performing at an All-Star level, but now the real All-Star, Joonas Korpisalo, is on his way back. Korpisalo, who hasn’t played since the end of December, has been loaned to the AHL for a conditioning stint as he prepares to return to action.

The 25-year old has missed 22 games with a knee injury, but actually wasn’t placed on injured reserve until today. That allowed the Blue Jackets to send a goaltender down on off days to keep them fresh, while Merzlikins handled almost all of the NHL work.

Before his injury, Korpisalo had been playing extremely well. After a shaky start as the No. 1 goaltender in Columbus, he had posted a .932 save percentage over his last month with a 7-2-3 record. That earned him a nomination to the All-Star Game, though he could not attend. In his place, Merzlikins has kept up that incredible play, posting a .924 save percentage in 29 appearances including five shutouts.

When Korpisalo returns, the Blue Jackets will have a tandem with the ability to be one of the best in the league. Whether they decide to let them share the net is unclear, but after such a frustrating season injury-wise, it will be nice to have some added depth at the position.

Kole Sherwood has also been assigned to the Cleveland Monsters.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Penguins, Miller

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Metropolitan Division is well represented in the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week, as the league announced that the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and the Blue Jackets’ Elvis Merzlikins have been named the first and second stars, respectively. Ovechkin is no stranger to the honor, but was certainly deserving of recognition once again with a whopping eight goals in three games, including back-to-back hat tricks. The 34-year-old trails only David Pastrnak in the NHL goals race right now and is eight goals away from cracking 700 in his career. Meanwhile, Merzlikins is brand new to both the NHL and any sort of league recognition. The young goaltender, who dominated the Swiss ranks for many years, got off to a rocky start this season after signing with Columbus last spring. However, he has performed admirably in the place of injured All-Star Joonas Korpisalo, including winning each of his past four start with three shutouts mixed in. In 20 appearances on the year, Merzlikins is now up to a .928 save percentage and 2.36 GAA in an impressive rookie campaign. The third star of the week belong to another familiar name, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. Toews shook off a cold spell, recording three goals and nine points in four games this week, extending his point streak to six games. As Toews goes, so do the Blackhawks, who have been surging of late back into the postseason conversation.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are among the top-five NHL teams in man-games lost this season and first in lost production due to injury. However, they have weathered the storm, not just maintaining through their losses, but actually improving. Now, they are getting healthy once again, with Sidney Crosby now back (and red-hot) and defenseman Justin Schultz getting close, per a team report. Schultz was cleared for full participation in practice today and appears ready to go, but stated that he and the team will be “smart” with the decision, especially with the All-Star break approaching and the opportunity for even more rest if they opt not to rush him back this week. Meanwhile, after leaving Sunday’s game, Dominik Simon has avoided any lasting injury, the Penguins The same can’t be said for Dominik Kahun, who suffered a head injury and has entered the concussion protocol. That just seems to be how things have gone for Pittsburgh this year though – for every player back to full strength, there’s another player sidelined.
  • One of the Penguins’ biggest rivals for the Eastern Conference title could be getting a somewhat forgotten player back in the mix. The Boston Bruins, after not having an update on defenseman Kevan Miller for some time, surprised the media by stating that he returned to the ice with the team yesterday. Miller has not played a single game this season, nor has he even been part of the active roster. The veteran defenseman has suffered multiple setback in his return to health after a litany of injuries last season. Should he reach the point that he is fully able to return to action, the Bruins would welcome him back, despite their logjam on the blue line, as Miller would bring the physicality and checking ability that the team has been missing too often this year. Of course, his return could pose some cap problems in addition to roster questions, but given Miller’s inability to get healthy this season, that is a bridge that the team will cross if and when they come to it.

Blue Jackets Notes: Recent Surge, Bjorkstrand, Wennberg

at CDT | by 3 Comments

No team in the NHL is hotter than the Columbus Blue Jackets in the new year. Columbus is 8-2-0 in their past ten games, which includes three shutouts and a pair of wins against the Boston Bruins. The team has now crept their way into the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, jumping ahead of the likes of Philadelphia, Carolina, and Toronto. Even more impressive is that the Blue Jackets have made this run while missing many of their best players: starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, top scorer Cam Atkinson and fellow forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Josh Anderson, and Alexandre Texier, and defensemen Ryan Murray and Dean Kukan. With those players on their way back to health – Atkinson made his return on Thursday – one would think that Columbus has a chance to not only sustain their success, but possibly even improve upon it.

Yet, the question then becomes whether the team can really buy in to this season after the events of 2018-19. Last year, the Blue Jackets went all in, trading away Anthony Duclair, two top forward prospects, a first-round pick, two second-round picks, and three additional picks to load up with rentals Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid. The team also opted not to move their own impending free agents in Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Although Columbus stunned the Tampa Bay Lightning with a first-round sweep, the first playoff series win in franchise history, they fell in the second round and lost each of those six free agents in the off-season. If the Blue Jackets are again in a position only to battle for a wild card spot down the stretch, can the team risk another season of lost prospects and draft capital? Only time will tell how long the team can continue this dominant stretch and what position they may be in by late next month, but another active trade deadline would be a difficult hit to the team’s pipeline.

  • Columbus’ best bet may be to depend on their internal options to get healthy and play to the best of their abilities. The team announced a step in the right direction today, as Bjorkstrand has been activated from the injured reserve and will return to action for the first time since December 22. Bjorkstrand is actually returning earlier than his expected four-to-six week timeline, healing quickly from broken ribs. Bjorkstrand was on pace for a career year prior to his injury, with 23 points in his first 36 games. The 24-year-old winger was embracing his increased responsibility and Columbus has to hope that he can continue to excel in his elevated role the rest of the year. With Bjorkstrand back, Kevin Stenlund is the odd man out, reassigned to the AHL.
  • If the Blue Jackets are to lean on their existing roster this season for a playoff run, another intriguing situation will be the trade status of Alexander Wennberg. Wennberg has been on the trade block since early last season and in the minds of many hockey pundits remains a player that Columbus would like to move. The young center has not lived up to the long-term extension the team signed him to back in 2017, which carries a $4.9MM cap hit for three more years beyond this season. However, as opposed to last season when Wennberg recorded only 25 points and was scratched a handful of games, Wennberg too has embraced his increased role in the wake of free agent departures and injuries this year. The 25-year-old has played in all but one game for the Blue Jackets, recording 20 points. This puts him on pace for 34 points on the year, a sharp uptick from last season. It also makes him a top-six scoring forward for the team so far this year. Can Columbus afford to move out a player in such an important role this year for only salary cap purposes when they are trying to make it back to the postseason?

Kris Letang, Tristan Jarry Named To Metropolitan All-Star Team

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The NHL’s 2020 All-Star roster announcement on December 30th was poor timing when it came to the Metropolitan Division squad. The following day, it was announced that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo had undergone surgery on his right knee following an injury in his previous game and would require a four-to-six week recovery period, all but ruling him out for All-Star festivities. Within hours, it was reported that his would be All-Star teammate, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, would require surgery on his shoulder for an injury that he too had just suffered in his last game would miss four-to-six months. Neither player would be available in St. Louis and the Metropolitan team would need replacements.

With Guentzel out, the Pittsburgh Penguins – who have missed more man-games than any team in the NHL this season – were without an All-Star representative. The NHL has now rectified that situation. The league has announced that breakout goaltender Tristan Jarry and veteran defenseman Kris Letang have been named the substitutes for Guentzel and Korpisalo at the All-Star Game and Skills Competition.

Jarry, who made just two NHL appearances last year and has less than 50 games to his credit through five pro seasons, is nevertheless worthy of an All-Star nod in recognition of his play this season. Jarry has been dominant by any measure through 20 games with the Penguins, to the point that he has supplanted incumbent Matt Murray as the team’s starter. At this point in time, Jarry holds the league’s best numbers across the board with a .935 save percentage, a stunning 1.99 GAA, and three shutouts to boot. Jarry looks to be developing into the real deal and this may end up being the first of many All-Star appearances for the young netminder.

Letang, a five-time All-Star, is a good choice for recognition any year, but has really stepped up offensively in the wake of many injuries for the Penguins, including long absences for both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Letang is on pace for a career-high 22 goals to go along with 57 points, despite the fact that he too missed eight games due to injury. Letang is as dynamic a talent on the back end as any defenseman in the league and will be a major asset for the Metropolitan squad in both skills contests and 3-on-3.

Joonas Korpisalo Undergoes Surgery

at CDT | by 2 Comments

John Tortorella won’t be happy. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that All-Star goaltender Joonas Korpisalo underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee and will be out four to six weeks.

Korpisalo was injured in a shootout against the Chicago Blackhawks, one that Tortorella believed shouldn’t have even happened thanks to a time clock mistake at the end of overtime. Whether he’s right in that belief or not, he’ll have to deal with the fact that his starting goaltender is now out for at least a month.

Selected to the All-Star game as one of the Metropolitan Division goaltenders, Korpisalo has been as hot as any netminder in the league of late. The 25-year old took over for the departed Sergei Bobrovsky this season and has posted a .913 save percentage in 32 appearances. He will most likely miss that All-Star appearance now, giving an opportunity to someone like Tristan Jarry or Semyon Varlamov as a replacement.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top