The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed restricted free-agent goalie Joonas Korpisalo to a one-year contract Monday.
The team made the announcement without revealing the terms.
With Sergei Bobrovsky slated for unrestricted free agency and not getting close to agreeing with Columbus, last season was an audition of sorts for Korpisalo. The 25-year-old didn’t exactly grab the starting job.
At one point, Korpisalo sported a 9-2-2 record, but his goals-against average at nearly 3.00 predicted that his record would come back to earth – and it did. Korpisalo ended up with a 10-7-3 mark with a 2.95 GAA and .897 save percentage in 27 games.
“The 2019-20 season will provide Joonas Korpisalo with a great opportunity to prove himself in the National Hockey League and I am confident that he is ready for that challenge,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “He has played sparingly over the past three seasons and that can be difficult, especially for a young goaltender, but he has all the tools — size, quickness, athleticism and a passion to win — that it takes to be a very successful goaltender in this league.”
In March, the Blue Jackets signed Latvian goalie Elvis Merzlikins to an entry-level deal, and he looks to compete for a spot on the roster next season.