Just Who Is Lauri Korpikoski?

On June 30, before the free agent frenzy that saw Mark Letestu and Andrej Sekera join the team, the Oilers traded face-off specialist Boyd Gordon to the Phoenix Coyotes for face-off non-specialist (and RW) Lauri Korpikoski. Drafted by the Rangers in 2004, and traded to Phoenix in 2009, Korpikoski has spent 7 seasons in the NHL, playing 498 games, and scoring 68-91-159 in that time.

Besides all that, just who is Lauri Korpikoski, you ask?

I don’t really know, either.

According to the internet and people smarter than I am, Lauri Korpikoski is from Finland, and has the potential to be an extremely versatile two-way forward. He scored 19 goals in 2010-11, and 17 the following season; in comparison the only Oilers to score more goals over the same time period were Jordan Eberle (52) and Taylor Hall (49). Since then, however, his production has dropped off considerably, though I’m sure that has more to do with playing for a garbage team* like the Coyotes than a real skill deficiency on Korpikoski’s part.

I think if you look at his last couple full seasons in Phoenix, there are some questions that need to be answered, mostly “why did he only score 15 goals in two years”? The short answer is “bad team, limited role”. The slightly longer answer is that he struggles more than he doesn’t, and that tends to lead to more struggling. Cat Silverman did a quick write-up on him, and she figures that in a sheltered 3rd line role with the Oilers, he’ll probably be just fine.

It’s a little frustrating to know that one of the bigger off-season acquisitions has so many question marks, but if he can use his speed and is able to get the puck to his teammates (one of his strengths), maybe we won’t see as much of the downside.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though, because when he’s good, he’s very good.

With only two years left on his contract, and at $2.5 million AAV, this isn’t a high-risk acquisition. Korpikoski will be 30 when his contract is up, and unless his output improves significantly, I don’t think he’ll be around after 2017. One thing he does have that few current Oilers possess is NHL playoff experience. Sure, he’s never won a Cup, but he’s at least played on teams who have made it to the postseason. He might not have the offensive output of, say, Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle, but his (slightly larger) size (6’1″, 205) and speed should be a boost for a team that has definitely struggled to have a large physical presence on the ice for the last few years.

*I’m aware the Oilers have also been hot garbage the last million or so years.