Joonas Korpisalo's 2018-19 workload will likely be determined using a multitude of factors. He has plenty of skill, but for the past couple of seasons, he hasn't had an opportunity to put it on display often. There's a reason for that, obviously.
With Sergei Bobrovsky's free agent status looming over the season and the possibility of an in-season trade, it means the mantle may go to Korpisalo sooner rather than later.
So, just how many games is he going to play during the 2018-19 season?
Over: 25 games
The two scenarios where this possibly happens are simple: Bobrovsky gets hurt, or Bobrovsky gets traded.
Bobrovsky does have a spotty history when it comes to injuries; his recent seasons, though, show they may have been more of an outlier than anything else. Nonetheless, there is always a chance with goaltenders that they may get injured in a moment's notice. Bobrovsky needs a clean year so he can cash in on his free agency, and on the other hand, Korpisalo would be an obvious beneficiary if an unfortunate injury were to happen.
If it gets to the point where the Blue Jackets are imploding and the season's gotten away from them, it would be foolish not to trade Bobrovsky. If that comes to fruition, you can bet Korpisalo would take the net for the last half of the season and easily pass the benchmark.
This doesn't even take into account the right workload for Bobrovsky that puts him around 55 games on the season. That way, when you need a fresh Bobrovsky, you can have yourself a fresh Bobrovsky. You have a workhorse and a potential goalie of the future in Korpisalo, so why not use him?
Under: 25 games
The Blue Jackets go back to the same old, same old. They've been doing that a fair amount already and while Bobrovsky is one of the best, Korpisalo is used so sparingly that his effectiveness has seemingly waned.
If this is the last season of Bobrovsky in Columbus, why wouldn't you just run him into the ground then (metaphorically speaking)? Play him as often as you can and just try to squeeze every drop of value out of him while he's around. Korpisalo is more or less a passenger in this mess; he isn't likely to affect how it all pans out. He's either going to become an asset or a liability because of it.
Prediction: Under 20 games
It feels like the Blue Jackets will let Korpisalo play more and give Bobrovsky more rest, but it just won't get to that 25-game mark. Over the last two seasons, Korpisalo has played in 14 and 18 games, respectively. He should play more and deserves to play more but it just depends on how the Blue Jackets decide to approach things with Bobrovsky; if prior years are any indication, he'll be riding the pine a bunch.
