The Bruins wasted little time making a move that had been hanging in the air all summer: they sent Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers and used the deal to free up cap space while opening the door for Michael DiPietro.
Boston got forward Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round draft pick back in the trade, which came less than an hour into free agency on Wednesday. For a team looking for room under the cap, moving Korpisalo’s $3 million hit was the cleanest way to get it done.
Korpisalo had been in Boston for two years after arriving from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark return. He served as Jeremy Swayman’s backup and gave the Bruins steady enough work, but the fit clearly wasn’t ideal from his side.
He was frustrated with the limited minutes, and while there was talk he could have been dealt last summer, Don Sweeney kept him around. This time, the Bruins moved on.
In 2025-26, Korpisalo went 14-9-6 with a 3.15 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. He still had some useful nights in him and helped Swayman get needed rest, but Boston clearly valued the cap relief and roster flexibility more than keeping him in the crease.
The trade also sets up DiPietro to step into the backup role behind Swayman. He has put together strong work for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League and carries a far smaller cap hit at $812,500. It’s the kind of move Bruins fans had been expecting, and it gives Boston a better shot at keeping DiPietro in the organization.
That matters because last season the Bruins got fortunate when DiPietro cleared waivers. If they tried that again now, the expectation is he would not get through, and Boston would lose him. By moving Korpisalo, the Bruins created the cap space and the roster spot they needed, and they did it before the market even had time to settle.
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Bruins Offseason Moves Are Raising One Big Question For Don Sweeney
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Ivan Ivan adds another layer to that picture. Boston brought him in from the Colorado Avalanche and then locked him in on a one-year contract, another move that suggests the Bruins are willing to keep tinkering as they try to fill out the depth chart through trades and free agency. The larger question for Sweeney is whether these pieces are the start of a clearer plan or simply the latest steps in a summer that still has one or two important decisions left to make. [Read more 🡒]