Training camp for the Boston Bruins begins in less than a week, and there are going to be some battles for roster spots to watch. Maybe the most intriguing one will be between the pipes as to who will be Jeremy Swayman's backup.
That battle will come down to Joonas Korpisalo and Michael DiPietro. Whatever the result is following the end of camp and preseason games ahead of the regular season beginning on Oct. 7 against the Washington Capitals on the road remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: there is going to be no easy decision for general manager Don Sweeney and the front office.
Bruins backup goaltending battle headlines training camp battles
It's safe to say that both players will get their chance to make their case. Swayman, who missed all of training camp last year amid his contract situation, will play in maybe two games with Korpisalo and DiPietro getting their chances to make their case in the others.
Korpisalo backed up Swayman last year after coming over from the Ottawa Senators, and at the end of the year, he was not thrilled with his playing time and made it well known. If he thought that he had split the games down the middle with Swayman after he agreed to a new deal that pays $8.25 million a year was an oversight on his part. To his credit, he played well in the games he played in, but if you're the Black and Gold, you're riding your highest-paid goaltender.
DiPietro took over the main duties last year with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) from Brandon Bussi, who moved on to the Florida Panthers in free agency this summer. He agreed to a contract this summer to remain with the Bruins, but it was widely known that if he hit free agency, there were several suitors for his services.
That leaves Sweeney in an interesting spot. Does he shop one of the two in a trade? There would be no shortage of suitors for either one, including the Edmonton Oilers. Just how things go will determine which move, if any, the Bruins make. The eye test tells you DiPietro has the lowest cap hit for a club looking to create as much cap space as they can sometimes. We'll see what ultimately ends up happening.