The Boston Bruins made a significant goaltending move on Monday evening by trading Linus Ullmark to the Senators and acquiring a new goalie in return.
Joonas Korpisalo had a challenging 2023-24 season statistically, ranking among the NHL’s least effective goalies. In 55 games played, he managed an .890 save percentage and a 3.27 goals against average. His performance was marred by difficulties in controlling rebounds, leading to widespread skepticism among local and national analysts about Boston’s decision to acquire a goalie with such struggling metrics. There were concerns regarding Korpisalo’s prospective role with the Bruins. However, his agent confirmed that he will indeed be donning the Bruins’ jersey with the eight-spoked B in the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season.
Sources within the Bruins organization indicated to Shinzawa that there are currently no plans to buy out Korpisalo’s contract. Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman is anticipated to solidify his position as the Bruins’ cornerstone goalie once he finalizes a long-term contract this summer, a development both parties are optimistic about. Prior to the Ullmark trade, Boston also bolstered its goaltending depth by signing Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract.
Korpisalo comes with a $3 million cap hit and has four years remaining on his current contract. Initially, there were speculations in Ottawa about the Senators potentially buying out his contract. However, with the trade to Boston, Ottawa is now only responsible for a quarter of his contract after retaining 25% of his salary.
It is possible that Boston’s goalie coach, Bob Essensa, sees untapped potential in Korpisalo that could be developed. Nevertheless, with plenty of offseason remaining, the Bruins still have several roster decisions to make in order to fortify their team for the upcoming season.