Joonas Korpisalo has taken the next step in returning to the ice for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The goaltender was activated from the injured list by the Blue Jackets on Saturday morning, with the club announcing he will begin a conditioning assignment with the Cleveland Monsters and will start for the AHL affiliate Saturday night against the Syracuse Crunch.
The 28-year-old Korpisalo has started 164 games in his NHL career, all with the Blue Jackets. He has a 76-67-21 record in those starts, with a career 3.04 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.
TRANSACTIONS: #CBJ have activated G Joonas Korpisalo off the Injured/Non-Roster list and loaned him to @monstershockey for conditioning purposes as well as placed D Nick Blankenburg (day-to-day; upper body injury) on IR retroactive to Oct. 23.https://t.co/DYQFUhvboV
— CBJ Public Relations (@BlueJacketsPR) October 29, 2022
The 2021-22 season was the worst of Korpisalo's career. In 17 starts and 22 total appearances, he posted a 4.15 goals against average and .877 save percentage. While it was expected that the team would move on from Korpisalo when he entered free agency over the summer, the sides agreed on a one-year contract in May to keep him with the team for this season.
The move could prove to be a momentum swing for Columbus. Goaltending has been a substantial problem for the Blue Jackets this season; only the Los Angeles Kings have allowed more than the 37 goals allowed by the combination of Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov.
No official return date has been announced for Korpisalo to return to the Blue Jackets, but joining the team in their trip to Finland for the NHL's Global Series could be on the table. Korpisalo is a native of Pori, Finland.
The team also announced Saturday that defenseman Nick Blankenburg has placed on the injured reserve list retroactive to October 23rd. It is not believed that Blankenburg will miss significant time; he is listed as day-to-day.
