When Joonas Korpisalo signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent this offseason, he knew there'd be at least one familiar face in the organization: Anton Forsberg.
The two goaltenders were teammates for three seasons from 2014-17 in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. The tandem won a Calder Cup together with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters in 2016.
"We go a long way back," Korpisalo said, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "When I first came over to the U.S., we played together in the minors in Cleveland (American Hockey League) for a couple of years. We won together there, and then we spent some time in Columbus.
"So, we go a long way back, and we became friends immediately when we met each other. I'm super happy we created this tandem again."
Korpisalo is Ottawa's projected starter after signing a five-year, $20-million deal in the summer. Though his career has seen many peaks and valleys, he's coming off his best year, posting a .914 save percentage in 39 games split between the Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings.
The 29-year-old also brings a degree of postseason experience to the table. Korpisalo posted a .941 save percentage in nine appearances during the 2020 playoffs, helping the Blue Jackets upset the Toronto Maple Leafs in the qualifying round. He also started all six playoff games for the Kings in their first-round exit against the Edmonton Oilers this past campaign, recording a .892 save percentage.
"(Korpisalo's) got size, he's athletic, he's powerful, he's played in the playoffs, he's won a series," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "I think we're really comfortable moving forward now with our goaltenders."
The Sens are Forsberg's fourth team in his eight-year career. He managed a personal-best .917 save percentage in a career-high 46 games in 2021-22, but injuries limited him to 28 contests last season as his save percentage fell to .902. Forsberg is signed for two more seasons with a $2.75-million cap hit.
Goaltending from Korpisalo and Forsberg will play an integral part in the Senators snapping their six-year playoff drought - the third-longest active skid in the league.
