The Bruins will have a new back-up goalie next season.
The B’s shipped Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers on Wednesday afternoon, receiving prospect Kalle Vaisanen and a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft in exchange.
The Bruins did not retain any of Korpisalo’s salary in the deal, meaning his $3 million AAV is now off the books.
With Korpisalo on the move, the Bruins will likely turn to Michael DiPietro as their back-up, at least initially.
DiPietro has been great in Providence, particularly last season, and deserves a look at the NHL level. He’s under contract through next season and carries a cap hit of $812,500, making him an affordable option as well.
The only caveat is that DiPietro is eligible for waivers, so the B’s would need to make a decision on his NHL role and stick with it or risk losing him for nothing if they tried to send him down (as opposed to sending him up and down endlessly, as the B’s have done with some players in the past).
Still, we’re a ways away from worrying about that.
Vaisanen is a 23-year-old forward who spent last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
He had three goals and an assist in 51 games for Hartford.
Last season was Vaisanen’s first in North America, as he spent the earlier years of his career playing professionally in Finland.
With roster spots available in Providence after some departures, Vaisanen should be able to find a role somewhere.
Overall, this move should be considered a good one for the Bruins: they freed up some cap space, received an asset or two in return, and didn’t have to keep any of Korpisalo’s salary.
It wasn’t too long ago that some fans were suggesting packaging Korpisalo with an asset to get another team to take on the salary; instead, the Bruins moved that money out and got a pick and prospect with it.
Dealin’ Don strikes again!
