Insider Report: Vegas putting on the trade pressure

One NHL team is making sure that the expansion franchise steers clear of their goaltenders.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Insider Report: Vegas putting on the trade pressure
Keystone Press

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman was on The Fan 960 radio station in Calgary this morning and dropped a juicy rumor that could have a big impact at the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft. Rumor has it that Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee is negotiating a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets that would guarantee the expansion team DOES NOT select Blue Jackets back up goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in the NHL Expansion Draft.

Korpisalo, a 23 year-old Finnish native, was thrust into the NHL in 2015-16 when Jackets starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky went down with a season ending injury. While the team struggled in Goalie Bob’s absence, Korpisalo performed admirably and posted a 2.60 GAA and .920 Sv% in 31 games. This past season Korpisalo played only 14 games behind Bobrovsky, but nevertheless the team seems intrigued by his potential. So much so that they’re willing to buck up and ensure his future in Columbus.

With other goaltending options awaiting the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft and free-agency, the move to protect Korpisalo may ultimately be unnecessary, but you can’t put a price on certainty. And, with Bobrosvky’s spotty injury history, you can’t blame Blue Jackets management for wanting certainty between the pipes for 2017-18.


Source: Mark Sheig