To say there is a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding the Columbus Blue Jackets goaltending situation is an understatement.
The club will open the 2018-19 season with Sergei Bobrovsky as their No. 1, though he won't play in the season opener tonight in Detroit. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top (regular season) goalie is under contract for the upcoming season, but you don't need to be a prophet to have concluded that it's possible that Bobrovsky isn't going to be around after this season.
Let’s not kid ourselves: this could be an unusual season between the pipes for the Blue Jackets.
What’s New: On the surface, nothing. Bobrovsky and Korpisalo have been the goaltending battery in Columbus for the past three seasons, and both are familiar with each other. But there's plenty new. For starters, after a less-disappointing-but-still-disappointing playoff-performance, Bobrovsky came to Training Camp with some cryptic and ominous comments about his future with the club. He enters this, the final year on his contract, without a contract extension signed for 2019 and beyond. He performed poorly this preseason, though I'm cautious to not equate preseason struggles with regular season failings, or vice-versa.
Behind the scenes, Ian Clark left as the team's goaltending coach. The Blue Jackets brought in Manny Legace from AHL Cleveland, and also hired Jim Corsi as goaltending development coach.
What’s Great: Bobrovsky is the best regular season goalie in the NHL. He enters his seventh season in Columbus as the all-time leader in games played (312), wins (176), and save percentage (.923). He's the only active goaltender to win multiple Vezinas. Over the summer, NHL Network named him the top goalie in the league. One could argue that the Blue Jackets don't make the playoffs without the stellar play of their star Russian netminder.
What’s Concerning: Bobrovsky is not the same goalie in the playoffs. You can yell and scream all you want, but the numbers don't lie. Has he had the misfortune of playing against the Stanley Cup champion in back-to-back years? Yes. Has the defense failed him at times? Yes. But even if this team gets back to the playoffs this year, it's hard to feel confident in Bobrovsky to "steal" a game, like he does with such regularity in the regular season.
Tortorella chose his words carefully after the team was eliminated:
“We don’t have a chance to get in (to the playoffs) if Bob doesn’t play the way he does. But I think 15 other teams can say that. It’s such an important position. He took a step forward, but has to be at another level if we’re to have any chance of succeeding. That’s not a negative, it’s not to run down Bob. He is a terrific goaltender."
He's not wrong. Bobrovsky's .900 save percentage in 2018-19 brought his career playoff save percentage up to .891.
What To Watch: As Bobrovsky enters into a contract season, management will be keeping a close eye on Korpisalo. In some respects, this season could be a dress rehearsal for the young Finn, who's shown quite a bit of promise but isn't considered a genuine lock to be an NHL starting goalie and has a lot to prove, as he'll be a restricted free agent next summer. Korpisalo should see more starts in 2018-19, and it's possible he plays more than he has the prior two years. Bobrovsky has started 63 and 65 games in the prior two seasons, and perhaps a bit more of a rest in the regular season would pay dividends in the playoffs.
Some have speculated on a potential Bobrovsky trade, but that's complicated. First, he has a no-move clause, meaning he can't be dealt without waiving that from his contract. Secondly, there's rarely much of a market – especially in season – for a goalie, even an elite one.
How They Stack Up: Should Bobrovsky return to the regular-season form that Blue Jackets fans have come to expect, there is a gap in ability between the two goalies. That favors Bobrovsky. But management will be interested to see how wide that gap is, and will need an answer to this question: can Korpisalo narrow it in 2018-2019?
