When the Boston Bruins players went their separate ways following their first-round elimination in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Buffalo Bills, there was some uncertainty as to what the roster was going to look like when training camp began.
One question was surrounding backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Were the Bruins going to trade Korpisalo or risk losing youngster Michael DiPietro on waivers if they tried to get him through to the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Providence Bruins? As it turns out, they chose to trade Korpisalo to the New York Rangers.
That opened the door for DiPietro to be Jeremy Swayman's backup this season. In training camp and in the preseason, he went out and won the job. Boston's development goalie coach, Mike Dunham, had a message for DiPietro, and the 27-year-old has taken it and run with it.
“I think he’s proven everything he can at that level,” Dunham said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “Every day I just tell him, ‘Listen, you don’t know when that door is going to open for an opportunity. And when it does open, you have to be able to put your foot through there and go through the door.’ He has listened to that.”
Bruins' Michael DiPietro took the message and ran with it
DiPietro certainly did listen to it. With the P-Bruins, he went 34-8-1 last season with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. The year before, DiPietro went 26-8-4 with. 2.05 GAA and a .927 SV%. There was very little debate as to whether or not he ws NHL-ready.
General manager Don Sweeney had to trade Korpisalo, as he could not have the same issue he had last season, losing Brandon Bussi for nothing. Boston chose DiPietro over Bussi, and the latter went on to help the Carolina Hurricanes capture the Stanley Cup last season by beating the Vegas Golden Knights.
Things were not working out well for DiPietro with the Vancouver Canucks, and he was part of the return for former prospect Jack Studnicka. Years later, that is turning into an underrated trade for the Black and Gold.
DiPietro looked very good in his two preseason starts against the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. He's certainly ready after doing everything he could in the AHL. There was nothing left for him to prove down there. He'll be a big part of the Black and Gold this season with the number of back-to-backs they have. Regardless, DiPietro has taken the message from Dunham and gone with it and locked his spot on an NHL roster in 2026-27.
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