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DiPietro Leads Intriguing Bruins’ Backup Goalie Competition

Jiri Patera has NHL experience and could be an interesting factor in the Bruins backup goaltending competition next season. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

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DiPietro Leads Intriguing Bruins’ Backup Goalie Competition

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Brandon Share-Cohen | Last updated Aug 15, 2026 9:05 AM ET

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There’s been a lot of discussion about the potential outlook of the Boston Bruins lineup for the 2026-27 season. Through all of the discourse, though, one under-discussed area has been the Bruins goaltending situation heading into the season. With the team trading away Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers, the assumption is that AHL goalie Michael DiPietro will immediately step into the NHL role in a full-time capacity. Things may not be quite so simple for the 27-year-old though.

When the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, they solidified Jeremy Swayman’s role as the team’s undisputed No. 1 goaltender moving forward. Swayman struggled a bit in his first season in the role before bouncing back in a big way last season, being named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Every good goalie needs a solid backup who can make their life easier throughout the season, however, and the Bruins were fortunate to have Korpisalo in that role last season. With the team moving on from his salary, it opened the door for DiPietro to earn the job out of training camp.

Earning the job out of training camp is where things get interesting.

Bruins Signed Goalie Competition

The Bruins made some under-the-radar signings of two-way contracts on July 1, one of which was given to goaltender Jiri Patera. The 27-year-old goalie from Prague has played in 122 career AHL games, compiling a 51-56-9 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. He also has nine games of NHL experience to his name, including one game this past season with the Vancouver Canucks.

NHL experience is valuable, even if it’s only nine total games. With that said, Patera did allow seven goals in 57 minutes of action in that contest so it’s not entirely encouraging. In general, he’s put together a 3-4-1 record with a 4.01 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in those nine games, eight coming with the Vegas Golden Knights between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

While DiPietro almost certainly has the inside track for the Bruins backup job this offseason, it’s at least worth noting that Patera is back in the system after a very brief stint with the organization in 2024. Realistically, he’ll likely spend this season in Providence to replace some of DiPietro’s starts, but that shouldn’t discredit his ability to step in should things go awry.

The Backup Goalie Position Is DiPietro’s To Lose

DiPietro has been with the Bruins since the 2022-23 season and has been a star throughout that time. He was named the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award winner as the AHL’s most outstanding goalie in each of the past two seasons and was also named the inaugural winner of the Doug Messier Award, given to the AHL’s most outstanding player.

Washington Capitals forward Bogdan Trineyev loses control of the puck in front of Boston Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro (Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)

Putting together a 60-16-6 record over the past two seasons, DiPietro recorded a stellar 1.94 goals-against average and .928 save percentage over the past two seasons in Providence. It’s hard to imagine him getting any more value from time spent in the AHL and this is the prime opportunity for him to make a full-time jump to the NHL.

Having some competition will be good for DiPietro. Motivation is never a bad thing, nor is insurance in case things don’t go according to plan. Even if DiPietro has all but won the job on paper, the work is done on the ice. Time will tell how things play out, but the Bruins seem to have some plans in place for the backup position this season one way or another.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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