We are one week away from the Boston Bruins officially dropping the puck on the 2025-26 season in Washington against the Capitals on Oct. 8. A long offseason filled with some underwhelming additions and not all needs addressed by general manager Don Sweeney, a new season is here.
One position where the Black and Gold have some depth is between the pipes. Brandon Bussi left in free agency to sign with the Florida Panthers, which leaves Michael DiPietro and Joonas Korpisalo as the options to back up Jeremy Swayman this season.
Through camp in the preseason games, DiPietro and Korpisalo have both been given the opportunity to win the job as Swayman's backup. If you had to pick a winner right now, it would be Korpisalo. However, the final cuts are looming for the Bruins, and there is one giant question facing Sweeney and the coaching staff: what to do with DiPietro.
Bruins facing pivotal decision regarding goalie Michael DiPietro
Sending DiPietro down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) is likely the decision coming from the front office. To get DiPietro down to the P-Bruins, it will require him to clear through waivers, and that is not a given. On a recent 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, insider Elliott Friedman thinks there are going to be a lot of eyes on this decision by Sweeney.
“I have no doubt teams will be looking hard at (him),” said Friedman. “There will be teams this week, curious to see what the Bruins do.”
There was a report from Kevin Weekes of ESPN before free agency started back in June that some teams around the league were ready to make DiPietro an offer if he hit free agency. It makes sense that a lot of teams would be interested in him, as he opened a lot of eyes around the league last year with his play in the AHL.
At this point in training camp, teams have their goalie situation mostly figured out, and would a team really pounce on DiPietro if he hit waivers? Maybe, but that is a question that Boston's management needs to figure out before making a decision.