The contract
Joonas Korpisalo signs a five-year deal with the Senators worth $4 million per year.
Shayna Goldman: Finding a starting goalie was rightfully a priority for the Senators. Anton Forsberg, at best, is a 1B option. Mads Sogaard has potential, but he isn’t a clear-cut starter right now and that doesn’t help a team that’s about to turn the corner. So it makes sense that management had to look elsewhere in the meantime. The problem is that literally every single goalie contract comes with an element of risk, so it’s all about finding the balance between risk and reward. The risk feels a bit too steep for the Senators’ latest signing, with a five-year contract carrying a $4 million cap hit for Korpisalo.
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Ottawa is betting on 2022-23 Korpisalo, and only 2022-23 Korpisalo. The goalie is coming off a year where he thrived behind two very different defensive teams — first behind absolute chaos in Columbus, where he saved 10.2 goals above expected in 28 games, before a much more structured Kings team (where he earned a GSAx of 6.54 in 11 games). While that’s a really excellent year to bet on, this isn’t some up-and-coming goalie. This is someone who has been in the league for years, and has really struggled at times. Maybe this was his moment and is a positive sign of things to come, but it’s such a gamble because of the term.
Korpisalo doesn’t have the track record to warrant a five-year contract of this magnitude, even with the upcoming cap growth in mind. Maybe having Forsberg and eventually Sogaard gives management the idea that it’s the risk to take, but it is just a little too dicey right now — especially when factoring in the team he could be playing behind. Yes, Korpisalo thrived despite all of the defensive breakdowns in Columbus, but what about the years before that? Ottawa allows a lot of shots and chances back, so this isn’t a team that can just get away with average goaltending if that doesn’t change.
Contract grade: C
Fit grade: B
Eric Duhatschek: For all but the final three games of the playoffs, Joonas Korpisalo looked as if he would be the long-term solution in goal for the Los Angeles Kings. He was added as a rental from Columbus for that playoff push, and in the regular season, alternating with Pheonix Copley, he was excellent – 7-3-1, with a .921 GAA and a 2.13 save percentage. But that wobble in the playoffs left them wondering whether they wanted to commit long-term to Korpisalo – and that’s what Korpisalo was looking for. So L.A. is going to settle for a short-term, low-budget netminder presumably, whereas Ottawa was prepared to give him a five-year term for $20 million. At a $4 million per season AAV, it’s good value. Korpisalo becomes the No. 1. Anton Forsberg is coming off ACL surgery that ended his season last year. He’ll likely be used in a tandem with Forsberg, and that leaves goalie of the future Mads Sogaard getting a full year of development in AHL Belleville. The fact that the other option in goal in Ottawa, Freddie Andersen, signed back with Carolina essentially left them with Korpisalo at the top of their wish list. Korpisalo wasn’t necessarily the best option among available UFA goalies, but he wasn’t the worst either.
Contract grade: C
Fit grade: C
(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)