Boston Bruins
· 2026-07-05
The Boston Bruins have traded goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers.
The Bruins sent Korpisalo packing in exchange for forward Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round draft pick.
The trade comes after Korpisalo posted a 14-9-6 record and .894 save percentage in 31 games for the Bruins last season.
By moving on from Korpisalo, the Bruins have positioned Michael DiPietro to take over as the team's No. 2 goaltender.
DiPietro won the “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goalie and Les Cunningham Award as the AHL MVP last season.
The Bruins were spending $11.25 million on their goaltending tandem, but will now spend $9.06 million with DiPietro as the backup.
The Bruins are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 45-27 record, on a W2 streak as of July 5, 2026.
Korpisalo had two years left on his contract at $3 million per season, but the Bruins decided to move on from the 32-year-old Finnish netminder.
Vaisanen, a 6-foot-5 right wing, was a fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2021 and scored three goals and an assist in 51 games for AHL Hartford last season.
The trade gives the Bruins more flexibility in their goaltending situation and allows DiPietro to take on a bigger role.
The Bruins are looking to improve their lineup and the trade is a step in that direction.
And with the savings from Korpisalo's contract, the Bruins can explore other options to strengthen their team.
But for now, the focus is on DiPietro and how he will perform as the new backup goalie.
So the Bruins will be watching DiPietro closely as he takes on his new role.
The Bruins' decision to trade Korpisalo was likely influenced by his .894 save percentage, which was tied for the 17th-worst among 54 goalies with at least 50 appearances over the last two seasons.
The trade is a significant move for the Bruins, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.