Bruins plan on giving Joonas Korpisalo a fresh start, but roster spot far from a lock
Joonas Korpisalo was in desperate need of a reset.
A quick glance at the stat sheet is enough to glean just how troubled his lone season with the Ottawa Senators was.
The 30-year-old was arguably the league’s worst starting goalie in 2023-24, posting a 21-26-4 record with an .890 save percentage. Of 98 eligible goalies in the NHL, Korpisalo ranked 97th in goals saved above expected at minus-16.7, per MoneyPuck.
The goalie he’s expected to replace, Linus Ullmark, ranked seventh in the same metric at 14.8 goals saved above average.
Of course, there were other factors at play in Ottawa that sapped any momentum that Korpisalo generated during his successful stint with the Kings (.921 save percentage in 11 games in 2023).
But with a spot behind Jeremy Swayman up for grabs this fall, Korpisalo took accountability for his struggles last season and stressed that a change in scenery should benefit him.
“It’s behind me, and I look back and obviously learn some things about it, and now it’s a nice time to look forward and I have a great opportunity here with Boston, and couldn’t be more excited.”
Don Sweeney and the Bruins are operating with some risk when it comes to potentially carving out a regular role for Korpisalo.
His body of work has not been consistent, while his contract ($3 million per season through 2027-28) could become burdensome if he does not right the ship.
Still, the Bruins are moving forward with the belief that Korpisalo has more to give.
Goalie coach Bob Essensa and the rest of the Bruins’ staff have compiled an impressive track record when it comes to crafting reclamation projects in net and elevating talented goalies to new heights.
Korpisalo might be one of Essensa’s most daunting projects yet, but the Bruins are holding firm on the belief that they can draw more out of his game.
“I think we feel very comfortable with him as a complement and a guy that can push, because we feel that there’s more ground for him to get back to when he played his best hockey,” Sweeney said at the NHL Draft. “We did that in years past when Jaro [Halak] came onto our team … Again, it’s a projection.
“But I think we feel comfortable in terms of stylistically, the competitiveness of the goaltender and Bob doing his work on how he projects into our lineup.”
Even though Korpisalo struggled to find his footing in Ottawa, he doesn’t believe that he necessarily needs to go back to square one.
“I don’t see an overhaul. There’s always things to work on,” Korpisalo said. “And I think the big picture comes from little details. And those are the things you work on every day. And even now, I’m working on those little details, and I won’t think there’s anything major change on my game, and it’s just on me to be on my level, and that’s fairly enough to win games in that league.”
The Bruins have contingency plans in place to put more pressure on Korpisalo, namely 26-year-old Brandon Bussi.
The former Western Michigan goalie has been knocking at the door for NHL reps after two strong seasons in Providence, with Sweeney stressing that the undrafted college free agent will also get a chance to compete for the backup job — especially considering he needs to pass through waivers if he’s sent back down to the AHL.
“I don’t want to lose sight of Brandon in the sense that he’s paid his dues, and he wants his opportunity to be in the National Hockey League. If he beats out, in this case, all likelihood Joonas, then we’ll have to give him the opportunity,” Sweeney said. “He requires waivers, so it’s part of the cycle of all the players, and when they start to mature and an opportunity presents, then yeah, we have to make a tough decision.”
If Korpisalo labors in preseason action and Bussi leapfrogs him, the Bruins could decide to keep Bussi as Swayman’s backup and avoid exposing him to the waiver wire — opting instead to send Korpisalo to Providence.
The Bruins would only shave $1.15 million off Korpisalo’s $3 million cap hit by keeping him in Providence, but those savings would still trump the alternative of rolling with a lackluster backup — and potentially losing a promising prospect such as Bussi to waivers.
Korpisalo is staring at an uphill climb but is eager to prove naysayers wrong.
“It’s a shock,” Korpisalo said of getting traded after just one season with the Seanators. “Always it’s a shock, whether you expected it or not. It’s a shock. And throughout the day, I started processing and trusting it.
“And my excitement went through the roof, and having a talk with Bob, he’s done his research, which is a great thing for me … I’m super excited to get to work with him, as well.”
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