In 2020-21 and 2021-22, Joonas Korpisalo combined to post an. 886 save percentage.
This season, his save percentage is at .908, a massive improvement, which has been a slight bright spot in this Blue Jackets season. Even though a .908SV% isn't great, it's much better than his previous two seasons and also much better than Elvis Merzlikins', who has posted an .864SV%.
Analytically, Korpisalo has also performed well. He ranks 23rd in the league in goals saved above expected, per moneypuck.com. Over his last three appearances since being pulled from the Buffalo debacle, he's compiled 3.78 goals saved above expected.
Korpisalo is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, which means his name will surely come up in trade talks, especially at a $1.3M cap hit.
If the Blue Jackets get a solid return in a trade, they should absolutely be willing to part ways with him, especially since that would give more starts to Merzlikins who will help them lose games and get better odds in the draft lottery.
But for now, Korpisalo's play has kept the Jackets in games, for the most part, and has been a sign that the past two seasons were an exception rather than the norm.
For all the reasons the Blue Jackets have the league's second-worst record, Korpisalo's play is not near the top of the list.
We'll see how he plays over the next three months and if he's still in Columbus once the trade deadline passes.
Either way, his bounce-back has been a nice story this season.
