When the Boston Bruins made some moves on July 1, a couple of them involved deals with the New York Rangers. The first one moved frustrated goalie Joonas Korpisalo to clear his contract and create a path to the NHL for Michael DiPietro.
The top goalie for the last two seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. Acquired from the Vancouver Canucks as part of a deal that sent former Boston prospect Jack Studnicka to the Canucks. After paying his dues in the AHL, it's DiPietro's time to shine and crack the NHL roster out of camp.
DiPietro got his first crack at locking down the backup to Jeremy Swayman on Sunday at the TD Garden in the Black and Gold's first preseason game against the Washington Capitals. After the game, the 27-year-old was honest about his performance and what he's trying to do in a short amount of time to make the Opening Night roster.
Michael DiPietro drops honest quote after performance against Capitals
DiPietro was good against Washington. In fact, he was very good. He made 30 saves combined in regulation and overtime in what turned into a 3-2 Boston victory. In the shootout, he turned aside attempts by the Caps' Alex Tuch, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Anthony Beauvillier, and James Hagens goal on the Bruins' first attempt stood up as the winner. DiPietro assessed his performance, according to Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com.
“All in all, I liked my game. Obviously a few things to clean up but a good first one to get out of the way,” DiPietro said. “I think any time you go to main camp you have the mindset of trying to put a good foot forward. I think for me, just trying to compete, stay humble and lean on my work ethic and try to earn a job.”
The Bruins made their decision clear back on July 1. Trading Korpisalo opened the door for DiPietro. However, if Boston kept DiPietro, then they risked losing him this season, and general manager Don Sweeney did not want to have a repeat of losing Brandon Bussi, who went on to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup last spring.
DiPietro played very well against the Capitals and is showing that he is NHL-ready for the upcoming season. Can he play give-and-take 25 games for the Bruins to spell Swayman in 2026-27? He appears ready, and he needs to be after the organization shipped out Korpisalo.
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