Phoenix forward Lauri Korpikoski has decided to stay with SM-liiga club TPS Turku for a little while longer, agreeing to a six-game contact extension that will keep him in Finland until Nov. 24.
Korpikoski first signed with TPS in early October, reuniting with the club he represented at the junior and senior levels before coming to North America in 2005-06.
His second stint in Turku has been highly successful. The 26-year-old posted 4G-6A-10PTS in just five games, an offensive explosion that prompted him to (jokingly?) declare he was going to send the Coyotes DVDs of his Finnish league exploits, “to show that I can score on the power play.”
This comment was in likely reference to the limited amount of man advantage time Korpikoski sees in Phoenix under head coach Dave Tippett.
Last season Korpikoski averaged just 43 power play seconds per game, which was less than Coyotes teammate Raffi Torres.
The year prior, he finished 18th on the team in average PP ice time — 41 seconds per game.
As for the new deal with TPS, Matias Strozyk of Elite Prospects explains the six-game contract is one Korpikoski will likely continue to sign for the duration of the lockout.