Earlier this offseason, the Boston Bruins acquired Joonas Korpisalo from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Linus Ullmark trade. The 30-year-old joining Boston is notable, as he is under contract until the end of the 2027–28 season. In addition, even with the Senators retaining 25% of his contract, he still carries a not-so-cheap $3 million cap hit for the Bruins.
The addition of Korpisalo surprised a good amount of Bruins fans, especially when noting that he struggled mightily this past season. In 55 games as the Senators’ starter, he had a 21-26-4 record, a 3.27 goals-against average (GAA), and a.890 save percentage (SV%). It was a year to forget for the 2012 third-round pick, but now his goal will be to get things back on track with the Bruins this upcoming season.
While Korpisalo had a disastrous 2023-24 season, there is reason to believe he could bounce back next season for the Bruins. With the Senators last season, he had a shaky defensive group in front of him. However, with this move to Boston, he will now have one of the NHL’s best defenses in front of him. This, in turn, could benefit the nine-year veteran greatly.
Furthermore, just back in 2022–23, Korpisalo put together an excellent season. In 39 games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings, he had an 18-14-4 record, a.914 SV%, and a 2.87 GAA. However, after being traded to the Kings and having a better defense in front of him, he played his best hockey of the season. In 11 regular-season games with LA, he had a 7-3-1 record, a 2.13 GAA, and a.921 SV%.
Nevertheless, while the Bruins’ addition of Korpisalo undoubtedly carries a good amount of risk, he has the potential to bounce back in Boston. If he turns things around, he could be a very solid backup for the Bruins once restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman signs his new deal.
