Joonas Korpisalo

Korpisalo was perhaps the NHL's worst starting goalie in 2023-24. He went 21-26-4 with a .890 save percentage, and his GSAx was 93 of 93 with a -13.6 GSAx (goals saved above expected). There's nowhere to go but up for Korpisalo, who'll get a chance to back up Jeremy Swayman in Boston after being traded by Ottawa in the offseason. If anyone can help resurrect his game, it's Bob Essensa, former NHLer and the Bruins goalie coach, and the rest of the team's development squad. They've worked wonders before, and they may again with Korpisalo. He could be a decent spot starter with a stronger team in front of him.

Korpisalo's 2022-23 campaign helps illustrate how much of a goalie's success is tied to the team they play for. He posted an 11-11-3 record, 3.17 GAA and .911 save percentage in 28 games with Columbus, then had a 7-3-1 record to go along with a 2.13 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 11 contests after being acquired by the Kings on March 1. The change in fortunes isn't too surprising given that Columbus ranked 31st in expected goals against with 213.18, while LA was third with 158.72, which suggests Korpisalo went from one of the worst teams defensively to one of the best. After inking a five-year, $20 million contract with Ottawa over the summer, the 29-year-old will be playing for a team that will likely be in the middle of the pack both offensively and defensively. That should result in Korpisalo earning 20-25 wins, posting a GAA of 2.60-2.90 and a save percentage of .910-.915 while starting in 45-50 outings, which would be a career-high workload for the oft-injured netminder.

Korpisalo's seventh NHL campaign went about as poorly as possible. Making 22 appearances, the Finn managed a 7-11-0 record, along with a truly horrific 4.15 GAA and .877 save percentage. If that's not bad enough, Korpisalo underwent hip surgery in March, which ended his season. Korpisalo should be fully healthy for training camp, at which point he will serve as the backup for Elvis Merzlikins. That said, the Jackets would probably have to make a move should something happen to Merzlikins given what we saw from Korpisalo a season ago.

Korpisalo's sixth NHL season was marred by both injury and ineffectiveness. Playing for a Columbus team that found themselves in free fall for almost the entire campaign, Korpisalo saw his GAA rise from 2.60 to 3.30, and his save percentage drop from .911 to .894. He also missed the Jackets' final six games with a lower-body injury. It remains to be seen how new Columbus coach Brad Larsen will divide up playing time, but the best Korpisalo can likely hope for is a timeshare with Elvis Merzlikins. That means he won't be of much, if any, help to fantasy managers due to the fact the Blue Jackets figure to be a middling team once again in 2021-22.

Korpisalo sparkled in the playoffs -- including a historic 85-save performance -- leading all starters with a .941 save percentage during postseason play. His postseason performance erased most doubts about his abilities after a slightly shaky first season as the Blue Jackets' starter. Even though he finished with career bests across the board, Korpisalo was outplayed by backup Elvis Merzlikins for long stretches before reclaiming the starting job toward the end of the regular season. Columbus' stout defense can make most goalies look good, but Korpisalo will face a lot of internal competition from Merzlikins and there are still questions about his ability to handle a large workload. That uncertainty knocks Korpisalo's fantasy value down to the lower end of starting netminders, but his playoff performance hints at significant upside. Conservative fantasy managers may want to consider Korpisalo for their second goalie spot, but definitely not their first.

Korpisalo's apprenticeship under Sergei Bobrovsky has finally come to an end. The 25-year-old has spent the last four seasons as the backup in Columbus, and his performance since his rookie season has left a lot to be desired. While Korpisalo is capable of big games, his overall inconsistency has led to sub-.900 save percentages in each of the last two campaigns. With Bobrovsky now a Panther, his former understudy heads into camp perched precariously atop the depth chart for the Blue Jackets, but prospect Elvis Merzlikins will be looking to unseat him. If Korpisalo does start, he'll at least have the benefit of working behind a blue line corps that remains one of the best in the league.

The Finnish netminder once again saw limited action behind workhorse Sergei Bobrovsky, and the lack of work may have started to affect Korpisalo's development, as he put up the worst stats of his three-year NHL career in 2017-18. Now 24 years old, he has shown occasional flashes of No. 1 upside in the past, but the Blue Jackets were concerned enough about their options behind Bobrovsky that they brought in Jean-Francois Berube in the offseason, and the organization will be looking for further development from Matiss Kivlenieks as well. If Korpisalo struggles again in his sporadic chances, this could end up being his final season with the Blue Jackets.

There’s only so much fantasy appeal in a backup tender stuck behind a reigning Vezina Trophy winner, but Sergei Bobrovsky’s understudy has wet his feet to the tune of 45 career NHL games, holding a respectable 23-16-5 record and .915 save percentage over the last two seasons. Korpisalo takes up plenty of real estate in the cage at 6-foot-3, and he’s unafraid to challenge skaters outside of the blue paint. Embarking on his his age 23-season, view the Finn as a solid, up-and-coming insurance option in Columbus.

Korpisalo, an athletic young Finnish goalie, needs a lot of polish, but he's got NHL upside.

This Finnish goaltending prospect was the Jackets' second-round pick in this past June's draft. Korpisalo will have prototypical size for an NHL netminder once he's done growing, but he's a way from seeing NHL ice. He will spend another season in Finland after turning some heads at last winter's World Junior Championships.