When the Boston Bruins traded away Linus Ullmark, they did so with an eye toward the future. The deal saw the Bruins move Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2024 first-round draft pick, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and forward Mark Kastelic. This deal was a curious one for many fans, as the expectation was that Ullmark would command a much bigger return than what the Bruins ultimately received. Whether it be a higher draft pick than the 25th overall selection, an immediate contributor to fill a need either at forward or on defense, or a move that would at the very least free up the majority of Ullmark’s $5 million cap hit, the expectations were greater than the results. Though the trade verdicts are already in for many, it’s unfair to evaluate this deal without seeing Korpisalo performs in a Bruins uniform; this could change the perspective.
Realistically, a 30-year-old goaltender with a career .901 save percentage, 3.06 goals-against average and a 115-107-29 record probably isn’t blossoming into anything more than what he’s proven to be. At the same time, the Bruins don’t need Korpisalo to be a replacement for Ullmark. This trade indicates that the Bruins are going full steam ahead with Jeremy Swayman in the crease, giving him a chance to start more than 44 games in a season, his career-high set this past season. If the Bruins entrust Swayman to start somewhere in the 50-55 game range, he’d line up perfectly with starters around the NHL. This means the Bruins would need somewhere in the 27-32 game range from their backup goaltender next season.
In a season that saw Korpisalo start 55 games on a disappointing Senators team, things didn’t go well for the Finnish netminder. A 21-26-4 record, accompanied by a 3.27 goals-against average, .890 save percentage and -20.79 goals saved above average (GSAA), don’t instill a lot of confidence for those examining things at face value. What this doesn’t take into account, however, is that Korpisalo was tasked with playing more games than he’s ever played in a single season in his entire career. He was also tasked with playing on an aforementioned disappointing Senators team that didn’t do a lot to provide help in front of him.
Related: Bruins’ Ullmark Trade May Have Unintended Consequences for 2024-25
In Boston, Korpisalo will have the added pressure of playing for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, but without the stress of a starting role. He’ll also get to learn from Bruins’ goaltending coach Bob Essensa, who has proven to work wonders for a long time with just about any goalie that passes through town. He’ll also be playing in a crease behind one of the NHL’s best and deepest defensive units. Korpisalo has also proven that he can be a capable performer and would shine with the Los Angeles Kings in his brief 11-game stint with the team following a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. In 11 games with the Kings, Korpisalo went 7-3-1 with a 2.13 goals-against average and .921 save percentage; proof that in the right situation, he’s capable of playing better than he has behind some less-than-stellar Blue Jackets teams, and a Senators team that performed below league-average by just about every metric last season.
Bruins Still Have Goaltending Options
If Korpisalo can give the Bruins a chance to win during his starts, he could provide the team with exactly what they need behind Swayman as they try and keep their 25-year-old goaltender fresh for the postseason. Swayman showed he’s capable of playing consecutive games during the postseason and there’s no reason to believe this won’t be the case moving forward. At the same time, burning him out in the regular season isn’t advisable and this is where Korpisalo comes into play. Though the Bruins have some very strong goaltending in their system, including Brandon Bussi who will compete with Korpisalo for the backup role in training camp. While Bussi could outperform Korpisalo, the Bruins clearly weren’t looking to enter the season without some insurance in place.
One factor in play with Bussi is that, should he not perform up to the standard the Bruins need, he’d require waivers to be sent back down to the AHL. The Bruins may not be ready to lose him for nothing should another team view him as a possible upgrade to their system. Should Bussi play better than Korpisalo, however, and the Bruins determine that he’s a better fit behind Swayman, the team could opt to bury Korpisalo’s $3 million salary in Providence, costing the team a total of $1.85 million and freeing up $1.15 million in cap space. This, of course, is with the assumption that another team doesn’t view Korpisalo’s $3 million as palatable enough to claim him off of waivers.
Right now, it’s fair to assume that the backup job in Boston is Korpisalo’s to lose. This doesn’t mean that the Bruins are backed into a corner in any way, however, as they do have options to consider which can and will give them flexibility to compete. The Bruins had the luxury of two elite NHL goaltenders playing on their team at one time, but now they’ll have to readjust to a more traditional starter/backup dynamic. The backup job will be to spell Swayman and give the Bruins a chance of winning in limited opportunities; a less stressful job than the starting position, but an important job nonetheless.
