Out of the Swayman drama comes an opportunity for Joonas Korpisalo to bounce back
After being named the starter for Boston's season opener, Korpisalo will face considerable pressure as the Bruins aim to compete with Swayman out.
Seemingly buried in the public airing of Jeremy Swayman's contract negotiations was the announcement that Joonas Korpisalo would be the Opening Night goalie for the Boston Bruins on Monday.
Acquired in the offseason trade that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa, Boston is Korpisalo's fourth team in the last three seasons.
Inconsistency has been a major issue in Joonas Korpisalo's game during his nine seasons in the NHL. His numbers with the Columbus Blue Jackets never jumped off the page outside of a strong 2019-20 campaign that saw him lead Columbus to a five-game victory in the bubble over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
His best stretch of hockey came after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2023 trade deadline. In 11 starts, Korpisalo went 7-3-1 with a 2.13 GAA and a .921 save percentage, though he wasn't able to sustain it in their first-round series against the Oilers.
The Bruins need people to step up to get through the Swayman issue
Korpisalo's tenure in Ottawa lasted just one season after signing a five-year deal in the offseason. Given the chance to take over as the starter, Korpisalo struggled.
While posting his first 20-win campaign, Korpisalo allowed the third-most goals and lost the third-most games in the league. The Senators finished seventh in the Atlantic Division, missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season.
While the length of Jeremy Swayman's absence is undetermined at this moment, the sky isn't falling yet in Beantown. It would be one thing if Korpisalo was an inexperienced NHL goalie.
The real concern should be over who his backup will be. Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro are both in camp for the Bruins, with the latter being the only one with any NHL experience.
The team in front of Korpisalo is pretty good, too. David Pastrnak will likely be in the Rocket race. Brad Marchand is a perpetual pest and point scorer.
Charlie McAvoy is a top-tier defender. Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov were big additions this offseason. The Atlantic Division is full of stout competition, and the Bruins will be in the thick of it.
In a perfect world, a Swayman deal gets ironed out sooner rather than later. However, recent events have made that feel less likely to happen quickly. If Swayman takes a while to sign or doesn't sign by the December 1st deadline, this will be Korpisalo's team.
The Bruins' playoff aspirations will rest on his shoulders. Boston opens its season on the road against the defending champions on October 8th.
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