Blue Jackets happy to have goalies signed, sealed, delivered

Preparing for any season requires a plan.

For Jarmo Kekalainen, the plan for the Blue Jackets' future as far as building the roster next season started with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins.

Both goaltenders who have starred in the Columbus net this season were due to become restricted free agents after the campaign, and locking up the net for the next couple of seasons was at the head of the list when the Blue Jackets general manager looked ahead.

"I think the goaltending position is unique," Kekalainen said. "It's a lot harder to replace goaltenders … so you want to get into an agreement with your own. We were in a situation where we were confident going into the future that this is going to be the tandem that we want. So yes, it was a priority."

And that priority was dealt with over a week span. Korpisalo signed a two-year contract on April 17, then six days later, Merzlikins did the same, cementing what the Blue Jackets have in net through 2022 and extending each goalie through their first season of unrestricted free agency.

"We have two really good goaltenders under contract," Kekalainen said. "The tandem worked well this year. It was a big part of our success. We feel it's going to be a big part of our success going into the future as well."

Both certainly have showed they have what it takes to stand out at the NHL level this season, improving as the season went in. It was Korpisalo who took the first step forward, heating up in November and December to go 14-6-4 in his last 25 games while posting a 2.34 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage despite battling through a knee injury that cost him a month and a half. In all, he's 19-12-5 with a 2.60 GAA and .920 save percentage.

Then there's Merzlikins, who was 0-4-4 in his first 10 games, all CBJ losses, before an abrupt about-face to his season starting with his New Year's Eve win vs. Florida. From that point on, he has a 13-5-4 record with a 1.97 GAA and .935 save percentage on the way to a season mark of 13-9-8 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage.

It's a bit of a unique situation, with the two in many ways following similar paths to get where they are. Both just turned 26 years old, and both have stepped into increased roles this season, with Korpisalo emerging from the shadow of Sergei Bobrovsky after four years as a backup and Merzlikins making the most of his first season at the NHL level after dominating in Switzerland.

Both got hot this year when the season demanded it, as well, and both also showed they have what it takes to be a starting goaltender on a contending team. That could lead to an issue of divvying up playing time, but both goaltenders say the working relationship is good and leads to iron sharpening iron.

"We are good friends, and right now it's awesome," Merzlikins said. "We are trying to help each other even on goalie stuff. Maybe there's something that I like to do, how to go to the post, I tell him try see if he can use it, but everybody is different.

"We have a really great relationship, especially with (goaltending coach) Manny (Legace). We are kind of like a little goalie family there, so it's really nice to be there and it's a really great atmosphere there and it's fun to work together.

"Obviously I understand the business and there is one net and there is one goalie who is not playing, but at the end of the day we are just trying to make our job better as we can and try to help the team win games."

Korpisalo said the competition is nothing new to him after working with Bobrovsky for so long. He added the two goaltenders have leaned on a relationship that goes back to 2014 when both took part in the team's development camp after Merzlikins was drafted in the third round that season.

"It's pretty unique," Korpisalo said of the goaltending position. "Every day in practice, I have to be better than the other goalie on the other end. I think how we managed it is by being really good friends. We know each other from the development camps back in the day. We used to be roommates back then. I think it's been a fun run with Elvis, working hard every day in practice and still having fun. It doesn't matter who plays, we support each other. If Elvis goes and plays well, you have to play better. That's something that helps getting you better as a goalie.

"We both had a good season thus far, and we had a lot of fun competing and having fun on the ice and working hard. We have a really great relationship, me and Elvis and Manny Legace. It's been a lot of fun working with them and I'm looking forward to it."

So far this season, Korpisalo has played in a career-high 37 games, while Merzlikins has appeared in 33 games. Kekalainen added that kind of split could be something that's seen more and more going forward in the NHL, and it's something the Blue Jackets have the option to do going forward.

The general manager pointed to Boston, which is the only NHL team to have 100 points this year while splitting starts between Tuukka Rask (41) and Jaroslav Halak (29), as an example of how riding a single goaltender for 60-plus starts seems to be going out of style.

In fact, when the league hit the coronavirus pause, only four goalies were on pace to start at least 60 games.

"You're going to need two quality goaltenders," Kekalainen said. "I don't think you can ever enter into a situation where you don't have an NHL-caliber goaltender, otherwise you're not giving your team a chance to be successful. I think we're fortunate that both of those guys had really good stretches in this league and proved that they can be what you might call a starter.

"Teams are starting to realize that you don't necessarily want to overplay your No. 1 goaltender. I think it's a great luxury for us to have two really talented young goalies that can compete for ice time and compete with each other, push each other to get better."