It is becoming increasingly clear that the Boston Bruins might be running out of time to figure out their goaltending situation. Michael DiPietro had a sour start to the preseason, but his performance in a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday has teams around the league taking notice. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins will likely lose the goaltender if they attempt to send him to the minors.
Per 32 Thoughts the Podcast, Elliot Friedman says he has no doubt teams will consider Michael DiPietro if he goes on waivers. #NHLBruins
— Court Lalonde (@courtlalonde) September 29, 2025
Unfortunately for the Bruins, DiPietro requires waivers if they send him to Providence. DiPietro would be a solid backup to Jeremy Swayman, but they also have Joonas Korpisalo on the roster. The front office must consider whether it'd be worth eating Korpisalo's contract in the minors to ensure that DiPietro stays in the organization.
The Bruins have a couple of options. They could roll with three goaltenders to start the year, which gives them the chance to trade one of DiPietro or Korpisalo to at least gain some assets in return. Another option is to send one of the goaltenders to Providence, with Korpisalo being the most likely to pass through. However, they risk losing one of them for nothing, which would be tough to accept in the middle of a rebuild.
The only thing we know for sure is that a DiPietro assignment likely means the end of his Bruins tenure. Friedman believes that there are teams that will give him a look, with the Edmonton Oilers being the first team that would come to my mind. Stuart Skinner hasn't looked the greatest in preseason after vowing to be better this year, and Calvin Pickard doesn't inspire much confidence as a backup. The only question would be if DiPietro is that much of an improvement.
This is where the trade option comes in. While Korpisalo has been struggling over the past few seasons, he has some experience as a starter in the league. If the Oilers want more of a sure thing, maybe the answer would be to set up a trade with the Bruins to acquire last year's backup. The Bruins seem to trust Korpisalo, but at this point, for the organization, Korpisalo is much more expendable than DiPietro.
@AHLBruins All-Star G DiPietro has opened plenty of eyes and is seen as the top goalie available among group 6 free agents. Plenty of @NHL clubs I’ve spoken with have expressed their interest in him.#HockeyX pic.twitter.com/WHl8UwnHSR
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 11, 2025
Kevin Weekes' report this summer about DiPietro is eye-opening. If so many teams had interest in him, why did he agree to sign with the Bruins on a two-year deal. It tells me two things, the Bruins gave him hope that there's a path to play in the NHL, and he wants to be in Boston. If that's the case, it'd be a shame to lose him for nothing through waivers.