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Joonas Korpisalo, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Bruins’ Goaltending Has Them Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Zander Manning | Last updated May 20, 2025 10:45 AM ET

The Boston Bruins have perplexed fans over the last calendar year. From trading Brad Marchand to waiting all the way until the 11th hour to sign goaltender Jeremy Swayman, all the while trading his buddy ole pal Linus Ullmark in the meantime, leaving Bruins fans questioning the reasoning behind the trade.

Was Ullmark unhappy with his role? Was the move made to make Swayman happy? Or was it simply that they didn’t think he would stay healthy? The only person who knows the answer is general manager Don Sweeney, who is seemingly making ripples in the already rocky pond that is Boston taking calls on both Swayman, and his – for all intents and purposes – backup Joonas Korpisalo, especially after the organization signed Simon Zajicek to an entry level deal earlier on Monday.

With two American Hockey League (AHL) goalies poised to become free agents on July 1 in Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro, perhaps Zajicek is seen as an insurance plan if one – if not both – were to leave; however, if they were to leave that would put the Bruins in yet another difficult position with only one solution: signing Philip Svedeback out of Providence College, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Not only would the organization be down two very valuable goalies in their AHL system, but it would be putting two goaltenders who have never touched the ice at Amica Bank Pavillion to act as possible, eventually stand-ins in Boston. The question is, though, for who?

The Bruins Are in the Middle of a Rock and a Hard Place

Recently, it has come to light that not only has Korpisalo requested a trade, but teams are also calling about Swayman. After crashing and hitting rock bottom, a team drafting in the top ten of this year’s draft, it would behoove the Bruins to see that trading a proven commodity is not a good idea.

Heck, even letting one walk in free agency is not a good idea either. DiPietro and Bussi are both solid foundational pieces to surround a young core with, especially with the 26-8-7 record, 2.05 goals-against average (GAA) and .927 save percentage DiPietro put up in the 2024-25 season.

Letting one of DiPietro and Bussi walk is potentially not the end of the world for the Bruins, but risking losing both of them all while taking phone calls on their two NHL-caliber goalies is not a wise move.

The truth of the matter is, the Bruins are in the middle of a rock and a hard place. That hard place is who can they afford to lose, the rock is who they can potentially lose for nothing. They would not be in this position if they had managed to lock down DiPietro or Bussi to longer-term deals. On top of that, Korpisalo has expressed that he is unhappy with his role.

Korpisalo seemed to have more consistent success than Swayman with his three shutouts and 2.90 GAA, showing he definitely made the most of his opportunities. Despite the trade calls Boston is getting on any of its goaltenders in the offseason, the Bruins must do everything they can to keep them happy and keep them around.

It’s no secret that prioritizing goaltending needs to be paramount for the Bruins’ offseason to be successful, as that seems to have been their pitfall in years past. So far, it has been questionable, to say the least, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost in Beantown.