The Edmonton Oilers might not have ever been interested in acquiring Joonas Korpisalo, but it's hard to believe they wouldn't have taken his $3 million cap hit over Tristan Jarry's $5.375 million. Remember when Darren Dreger criticized Don Sweeney for not testing the waters on John Beecher before putting him on waivers? It makes me wonder if Sweeney did his due diligence on trading Korpisalo.
The Oilers acquired Jarry and Sam Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick. Not only would Skinner be a reliable backup behind Jeremy Swayman if the Bruins made the same deal, but they'd also add some much-needed defense depth in Kulak and some more draft capital. The only caveat would be that the Bruins would have to clear some cap space to fit Kulak in.
Tristan Jarry-Stuart Skinner trade signals a missed opportunity for Bruins
Another benefit of making this deal is that Skinner would be off the books at the end of this season, instead of continuing to pay Korpisalo for two more seasons after this one. Michael DiPietro is ready to take the next step and become Swayman's backup, and making the deal would've accrued some substantial assets for the Bruins while clearing space for one of the AHL's top goaltenders next season.
Once the Bruins get healthy, flipping Kulak for even more assets would've been a sound move, depending on what Boston's playoff chances look like closer to the trade deadline. Kulak has been part of some deep playoff runs, and the Bruins could either use him for their own playoff push or use him as trade deadline bait for a contending team.
Worst case, the Bruins might not have had to take Kulak's contract on because of Korpisalo's reduced cap hit compared to Jarry's. In that case, the Bruins might've been able to snag a prospect from the Oilers instead, which would've solved Boston's salary cap issue and been an alternate way to accrue some assets. Either way, the Oilers were willing to overpay for a lateral move in the net.
There are a lot of factors that might've made this trade unrealistic. The Oilers might not have wanted Korpisalo, the Bruins might not have wanted to trade their backup, or the numbers simply might not have worked for Boston's front office. However, it's difficult to see that trade happen and not wonder what Sweeney could've done differently.