Michael DiPietro has spent years waiting for a real NHL opening, and the Bruins are finally giving him one.
After winning the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goalie in 2024-25 and then taking home the Les Cunningham Award as league MVP, DiPietro has earned a full-time shot in Boston for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old Windsor, Ont., native had piled up a career AHL line of 118-50-16 with 12 shutouts and a .918 save percentage, and that body of work was enough for the Bruins to move on from Joonas Korpisalo without bringing in another veteran backup.
For a goalie who was once viewed as one of the best prospects in the world, this moment has been a long time coming. DiPietro was dominant in junior and on the international stage, winning the 2017 Memorial Cup, taking top goalie honors there, leading the OHL in shutouts three straight years and finishing with the best GAA on his team in his final major junior season. He was the third goalie selected in 2017, behind Jake Oettinger and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and even in 2019 he looked like the tournament’s top goaltender before a bad goal knocked Canada out in the quarterfinal.
Still, the NHL chances never really arrived. DiPietro has appeared in parts of just four games over seven years, including an emergency recall in which he allowed seven goals on 24 shots.
He also spent nearly all of the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season on Vancouver’s taxi squad. His last full NHL game came on Jan. 23, 2022, a 3-1 loss to St.
Louis. In Boston and Vancouver, he was mostly stuck in a No. 3 or No. 4 role, with only two NHL starts to his name.
The Bruins are betting on the tools that made him such a highly regarded prospect in the first place. DiPietro is quick, athletic and relentless from the crease out.
He reacts well to east-west movement, handles one-timers with explosive leg work and has gotten better at taking away the top of the net with his glove. His limited NHL run has shown some vulnerability to backdoor passes when he plays aggressively at the top of the crease, but he looked more controlled in preseason action earlier this month.
That matters, because Boston needs him to be more than just a feel-good story. Jeremy Swayman is still the starter, and the Bruins do not need DiPietro to match Swayman’s numbers.
They do need a dependable backup who can give him a real breather. If DiPietro can stay north of a .900 save percentage and finish with a GSAx above 5.00, that would be a clear step up from Korpisalo’s time in the role.
The path won’t be easy. DiPietro is 27 now, and if he struggles, Boston may have to look elsewhere.
Jiri Patera and Simon Zajicek are in the minors, but neither projects as legitimate backup insurance. The Atlantic Division also looks tougher, with Florida and Toronto both expected to re-enter the playoff mix, which only raises the importance of steady goaltending behind Swayman.
That’s the backdrop for a goalie many had already written off. DiPietro has spent years proving himself in the AHL while watching others get the NHL looks he wanted. This time, at last, he gets the chance to show he belongs.
In Other News...
Bruins Give Another Look To Names Fighting For Opening Night
The Bruins are getting another early look at the mix of players battling for spots as they head into their preseason road game against the Flyers, a useful checkpoint with opening night still ahead. Boston has already started sorting through a roster that includes forwards, defensemen and goalies expected to play, while the broader preseason picture has offered a few reminders of how crowded these decisions can be.
Recent exhibition results have added some shape to the conversation, including a 3-2 win over Washington that needed a shootout to settle it. Bostons preseason slate continues to move toward the regular season, which begins at home against the Rangers, and these next games should keep sharpening the competition for the jobs still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Season Could Force A Painful Decision On Pavel Zacha
The Bruins season could end up shaping more than just their playoff picture. Beyond the nightly standings chase, Boston is already looking at a roster decision that could loom larger down the line, with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt both sitting in the mix as players who have come up in trade chatter and whose futures may hinge on how competitive the team remains.
If the Bruins drift out of contention, the front office may have to weigh whether keeping veteran pieces intact is worth the risk of losing leverage later. Zacha, in particular, is the name that could command the most attention around the league and bring back the strongest package if Boston decides the season is headed in the wrong direction, making his status one of the more consequential subplots to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Final Preseason Games Could Reshape A Tense Roster Battle
The Bruins are heading into the last stretch of preseason with two road games, first against the Flyers and then the Capitals, and the final decisions may not be simple. With the regular season closing in, the remaining auditions come at a time when the roster picture is already unsettled, giving the coaching staff one more look before the choices get real.
Matthew Poitras and Mason Lohrei are among the names whose status has become harder to read after recent injuries, while Alex Steeves, Mikey Eyssimont and Lukas Reichel are still trying to make one more impression. For a team trying to trim down a crowded group, these final games could matter as much for what happens off the score sheet as on it. [Read more 🡒]