JANUARY 4, 2022

D Dean Kukan activated off Injured Reserve; G Joonas Korpisalo activated off COVID non-roster; G Daniil Tarasov placed on Injured Reserve; G Jean-Francois Berube added to roster; LW Gregory Hofmann placed on non-roster

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated defenseman Dean Kukan off Injured Reserve and placed goaltender Daniil Tarasov on Injured Reserve, General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.  The club has also activated goaltender Joonas Korpisalo off the NHL’s COVID-19 non-roster, placed left wing Gregory Hofmann on the non-roster list and added goaltender Jean-Francois Berube to the roster on emergency conditions from the taxi squad.

Kukan, 28, has missed the past 24 games with a wrist fracture suffered on October 25 vs. Dallas.  He has recorded three shots, three hits and a +2 plus/minus rating, while averaging 14:49 of ice time in two games with the Blue Jackets this season.  The Volketswil, Switzerland native has collected 2-17-19 with 30 penalty minutes and a cumulative +7 plus/minus rating in 114 career games since making his NHL debut in 2015-16.  The 6-2, 190-pound blueliner tallied 1-4-5 and 10 penalty minutes in 35 contests with Columbus in 2020-21.  He originally signed with the Blue Jackets as a free agent on June 1, 2015.

Tarasov, 22, suffered a lower body injury on Saturday vs. Carolina and is out indefinitely.  He has posted an 0-2-0 record with a 2.40 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in four games with the Blue Jackets this season.  The 6-6, 196-pound netminder set a franchise record for the most saves in his NHL debut in stopping 34-of-37 shots in his first game on December 2 at Dallas.  He has also gone 9-5-4 with a 3.09 GAA and .894 SV% in 17 appearances with the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters since making his North American pro debut at the end of the 2020-21 season.  The Novokuznetsk, Russia native was selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round, 86^th overall, at the 2017 NHL Draft.

Korpisalo, 27, has gone 3-4-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .891 SV% in nine games this season.  The Pori, Finland native owns a 72-60-21 record with a 2.95 GAA, .904 SV% and three shutouts in 169 career NHL games with the Blue Jackets since making his League debut in 2015-16.  He set career bests with a 19-12-5 record, 2.60 GAA, .911 SV% and two shutouts in 37 games in 2019-20 and was selected to play in the All-Star Game that season but missed the contest due to injury.  The 6-3, 193-pound netminder was drafted by Columbus in the third round, 62^nd overall, at the 2012 NHL Draft.

Hofmann, 29, has notched 2-5-7 with eight penalty minutes, two game-winning goals, 33 shots and a +6 plus/minus rating in 24 games with the Blue Jackets this season.  He made his NHL debut with the club in the season opener on October 14 vs. Arizona and tallied his first career goal on October 25 vs. the Stars.  The 6-0, 194-pound native of Biel-Beinna, Switzerland recorded 165-159-324 with 255 penalty minutes and a cumulative +52 plus/minus rating in 485 games over 12 seasons in Switzerland’s National League A (NLA). 

Berube, 30, has posted a 9-10-4 record with a 3.30 GAA and .898 SV% in 34 career NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders from 2015-18.  He went 3-6-1 with a 3.78 GAA and .894 SV% in 13 contests with Chicago in his most recent NHL action in 2017-18.  The Repentigny, Quebec native owns a 123-85-18 record with a 2.59 GAA, .906 SV% and 12 shutouts in 234 career AHL games with the Monsters, Ontario Reign, Hartford Wolf Pack, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Rockford IceHogs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Manchester Monarchs since making his pro debut in 2009-10.  Signed by Columbus as a free agent to a one-year, two-way NHL/AHL contract on Sept. 30, 2021, the 6-1, 175-pound netminder is 4-4-3 with a 2.82 GAA, .912 SV% and a shutout in 11 appearances with Cleveland this season. 

The Blue Jackets return to action tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Game time from Nationwide Arena is 7 p.m. ET.  The game will be televised live on Bally Sports Ohio with coverage beginning with the Blue Jackets Live pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. ET.  The game can also be heard on the Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network, including flagship station 97.1 The Fan in Columbus, and online at bluejackets.com.   

‐ CBJ ‐

Single game tickets for all home games played at Nationwide Arena during the 2021-22 season are on sale now.  Partial season tickets for the Blue Jackets’ 2021-22 campaign are also currently available for purchase.  Information on all ticketing options can be obtained by calling (800) NHL‐COLS or by visiting BlueJackets.com.

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