Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo signs one-year deal to stay with Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo didn't get to end the 2021-22 NHL regular season as he wished, but he'll be running it back with the club this fall. 

Per the league's website, Korpisalo has put pen to paper on a one-year contract to stay with the Blue Jackets and avoid unrestricted free agency. While the NHL didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, Sean Gentille of The Athletic notes it's worth $1.3 million. 

In total, Korpisalo played in 22 games and made 17 starts this past season. The 28-year-old tallied a 7-11-0 record with a 4.15 goals-against average and .877 save percentage but made his final appearance of the campaign against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 22 before he required surgery to repair a hip injury. 

It's expected he'll need six months to recover. 

"Joonas has been a consummate pro during his Blue Jackets career and just two years ago, was coming off a season in which he was selected to play in the All-Star Game and had a record-setting performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a released statement. "His 2021-22 season was derailed by injury, but we fully believe he will return to form and are happy that he will continue to be a part of our team."

Gentille added that Korpisalo is on track to remain the club's second-choice option behind starter Elvis Merzlikins.