Bruins create cap space by shipping out frustrated goalie to the Metropolitan Division

Going into the summer, all signs were pointing to the Boston Bruins making some changes with their roster. One area where they could create some cap space was between the pipes.

Jeremy Swayman isn't going anywhere, but general manager Don Sweeney could look to cut ties with backup Joonas Korpisalo and his $3 million cap space to create some much-needed room. That ended up being the case on Wednesday, less than an hour into free agency, when they traded Korpisalo to the New York Rangers for forward Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round draft pick.

Bruins create cap space and a roster sport for Michael DiPietro by trading Joonas Korpsialo

Acquired from the Ottawa Senators two years ago as part of the return for Linus Ullmark, Korpisalo was a decent backup for Swayman the last two years, but was unhappy about the limited playing time he got. There was some thought that he could have been traded last summer, but Sweeney held onto him. That won't be the case this summer.

Korpisalo went 14-9-6 with a 3.15 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in 2025-26. He did pick up some key wins for the Black and Gold, giving Swayman some nights off. However, this opens up some much-needed cap space and opens a roster spot for Michael DiPietro to be Swayman's backup.

DiPietro has been very good for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and comes with a much cheaper cap hit of $812,500. This has been a move that fans have been waiting for and it helps to assure the Bruins won't lose DiPietro.

Last season, Boston got lucky with DiPietro clearing waivers, but if they placed him on waivers this upcoming season, he wouldn't make it through, and the Bruins would have lost him. This is a solid move by Sweeney to clear cap space and a roster spot next season.

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