Bruins Trading Joonas Korpisalo Could Benefit Both Sides
During the Boston Bruins‘ exit interviews, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo notably made it clear that he was not ecstatic about the amount of playing time he received during his first season with the Original Six club.
“I don’t think there’s any goalie in the league who’s comfortable playing 20-25 games,” Korpisalo said. “I’m gonna push for more games, for sure.”
It is entirely understandable that Korpisalo is hoping for more starts, but that is just unlikely to happen with the Bruins. While Jeremy Swayman had a down year in 2024-25, he is signed until the end of the 2031-32 season and is the team’s long-term starter. Thus, if Korpisalo wants a more prominent role, it may need to be with another team.
While Korpisalo had some solid moments as the Bruins’ backup this campaign, they might benefit from trading him this off-season. If the Bruins could find a new home for the 31-year-old goaltender, they would free up $3 million of cap space. With the Bruins looking to improve their roster, they could use all the cap space they can get. In addition, they could find a cheaper backup, whether through free agency or in their system with a netminder like Michael DiPietro or Brandon Bussi.
As for Korpisalo, a change of scenery could also benefit him if he lands with a team that plans to give him more starts. Furthermore, with the free-agent market not possessing too many notable goalies this summer, there could be a market for Korpisalo if he is officially made available.
In a recent article for The Hockey News Blue Jackets, Spencer Lazary brought up the possibility of Columbus reuniting Korpisalo to form a tandem with goaltender Jet Greaves. Korpisalo was selected by the Blue Jackets with the 62nd overall pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and played his first eight NHL seasons with the Metropolitan Division club. In 210 games as Blue Jacket, he had an 87-78-24 record, a .903 save percentage, and a 3.06 goals-against average.
Korpisalo appeared in 27 games this season for the Bruins, where he had an 11-10-3 record, a 2.90 goals-against average, a .893 save percentage, and three shutouts. He is also the Bruins’ nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Trophy.
It will now be interesting to see what the Bruins decide to do with Korpisalo from here.
