In the first few months of the National Hockey League season, the Boston Bruins were getting inconsistent goaltending from their newly signed netminder Jeremy Swayman, and freshly acquired backup Joonas Korpisalo, part of the Linus Ullmark trade. A position that seemed to be a strength of the Bruins entering the season became another area of concern. However, the Bruins are getting the goaltending they expected from Swayman, who has posted a .919 save percentage in his last ten starts, including 40 saves or more in his last three. Korpisalo was stellar when the Bruins needed him in the third period of Monday’s 6-3 win over San Jose.
Then, there is the farm where Michael DiPietro had a tremendous season that resulted in an American Hockey League All-Star game appearance as a member of the Providence Bruins. The 25-year-old goalie has posted a league-best 1.95 goals against average and a .930 save percentage while registering a 14-5-4 record. In his last ten games, DiPietro has allowed just six goals. DiPietro, who was acquired as part of the Jack Studnicka trade with Vancouver, is a viable candidate to get some NHL time and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
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With the emergence of DiPietro, do the Bruins have a goaltender who can be expendable at the trade deadline as they look to add to a team that Team President Cam Neely said is still vying for a playoff berth? DiPietro could be attractive to a team looking for a young backstop to develop or Korpisalo could be an addition for a team that needed some goaltending security for a postseason run. Korpisalo has three years left on a contract worth $3 million per season which could make him a little harder to include in a deal.
Either way, the Bruins could be a team that can dangle a goaltender in March. Swayman will be the mainstay in goal for the next seven seasons and with Korpisalo having term, extending DiPietro could be on the docket for Boston. However, would it be good asset management to have DiPietro play another season in Providence? This brings up an intriguing scenario for the Bruins, who have an abundance of goaltending yet again.
Season 4. Episode 38. B.C. Bruins – Bruins Benders Podcast
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