Jeremy Swayman wasted no time making his new goalie counterpart feeling welcome after the Bruins traded for him in a deal that sent Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators.
Speaking to reporters over Zoom on Wednesday during his introductory press conference, Korpisalo revealed Swayman reached out to him right away once the trade was official.
“He seems like a great guy,” Korpisalo said. “It’s so much fun to watch him play .Everything is there. It’s the whole package.”
Korpisalo had a down 2023-24 season and was statistically one of the league’s worst goalies. The 30-year-old admitted ownership and front office changes were hard on everyone last year, but last season is behind him and he’s looking forward to a new opportunity in Boston.
As for Swayman, he emerged as the Bruins’ No. 1 goaltender last year. Even though coach Jim Montgomery rotated him and Ullmark for much of the season, it was Swayman who played in all but one game throughout Boston’s Stanley Cup Playoffs run.
Korpisalo will be competing with Brandon Bussi for the backup role, something general manager Don Sweeney touched on ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
“I don’t want to lose sight of Brandon in the sense that he’s paid his dues,” Sweeney said in June. “He wants an opportunity in the National Hockey League. If he beats out — in this case in all likelihood — Joonas, then we’ll have to give him the opportunity.
“Joonas has obviously played at a high level and been a starter,” he added. “The ability to compliment Jeremy, to be able to push Jeremy and want the net himself, I think is generally a good competitive atmosphere. It’s what Jeremy has been used to since he’s been in the National Hockey League, and he’s earned everything that’s come his way.”
There’s plenty of chatter around the Bruins goaltending situation. Swayman is due for a long-term deal and was given a qualifying offer from Boston just ahed of free agency. Both Swayman and Sweeney expressed optimism a contract would come to fruition this summer.
