The NHL-best Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for this season and the future.
The club waived backup goalie Curtis McElhinney on Monday, and he leaves with a .924 save percentage. The 33-year-old was shelled Saturday against the New York Rangers, and he's gone, replaced by 24-year-old Anton Forsberg, who got the call from the AHL.
Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said it wasn't only Saturday's start that factored into Monday's decision.
"It's not based upon one game," Kekalainen said, writes The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline. "(All the games) go into the evaluation, where we feel he's at with his career and where we feel our other goalies are with their careers, the future of our goaltending."
Forsberg's that future.
A seventh-round pick in 2011, that Forsberg is getting an opportunity is a story in itself. He's produced at the minor-league level and jumped Joonas Korpisalo - a second-round pick, 62nd overall in 2012 - on the depth chart thanks to a 9-0-0 miracle playoff run last year, playing an integral role in the Lake Erie Monsters' Calder Cup championship.
Here are Forsberg's AHL numbers:
| Season | GP | SV% |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 30 | .927 |
| 2015-16 | 41 | .914 |
| 2015-16 Playoffs | 10 | .949 |
| 2016-17 | 21 | .930 |
He's played nine NHL games in his career, including four last season, recording a disappointing .882 save percentage.
But he's getting a chance. Even though Korpisalo filled in admirably for oft-injured No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky last season.
Korpisalo played 31 games for Columbus last season, the only 31 games of his NHL career, and posted a strong .920 save percentage. Losing his starting job in the minors, though, has affected his play. He has a .900 save percentage in 12 AHL games this season.
Kekalainen said McElhinney "is a great pro and a great person," and said the decision to waive him was a difficult one.
"(Forsberg) deserves a chance to show what he can do at this level based on the AHL playoffs last spring, but also his continued excellent play," Kekalainen explained. "Korpisalo gave us a lot of wins in the NHL last season. He was basically our No. 1 goalie when Bobrovsky was hurt. He has to earn his opportunity again. This time it's Forsberg who has earned it."
Columbus is in action Tuesday in Carolina, Friday in Tampa Bay, and Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., so it's certainly possible Forsberg starts one of the final two games the Blue Jackets play this week.
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