Fansided

Joonas Korpisalo: The Solution To The Senators’ Goaltending Problem

By Cameron Moore |
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 29: Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Los Angeles Kings in goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 29: Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Los Angeles Kings in goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The NHL draft was largely uneventful for the Senators, so the “Summer of Doiron 2.0”  truly started on July 1st. General manager Pierre Doiron made a splash in the goaltending market by signing former Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings netminder Joonas Korpisalo.

The Finnish goalie put pen to paper on a five-year deal worth $20 million ($4.0M cap hit). Korpisalo comes into the nation’s capital to form a tandem with fellow Scandinavian shot-stopper Anton Forsberg.

Ottawa needs stability in between the pipes. Last season, seven different goaltenders started a game for the Senators. They were one goalie off the league record of eight, set in 2019 by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Stability in Ottawa’s net has been hard to find ever since the departure of franchise great Craig Anderson, with numerous attempts by General Manager Pierre Dorion to rectify this area of concern.

Next. Meet the Senators Draft Class of 2023. dark

The 29-year-old just had a relatively healthy year, only missing one week due to injury. However, there are concerns about longevity. Since 2019, Korpisalo has ended two separate seasons out with an injury, and another impairment that kept him out for five weeks. All of the injuries were lower body related.

There is a lot to like about Korpisalo. He just had a solid campaign. He played 39 games which is a career-high and had the second-highest save percentage of his career. Advanced analytics favour Korpisalo, he finished 11th in goals saved above expected (GSAx) with 12.7.

He excelled when he was moved from Columbus to Los Angeles. His save percentage jumped from .911 to .921 when he went to Hollywood.

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Between Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo, Ottawa can expect their goaltending situation to improve as long as the pair can stay healthy. Forsberg’s recovery from a double MCL tear coupled with Korpisalo’s injury could lead Ottawa to be in the same spot as last year. The encouraging side is that both goaltenders are quite good when they are on the ice.

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