Bruins expected to make a trade after Michael Dipietro signs new deal

The Boston Bruins didn’t wait for free agency to settle one of their key depth decisions, signing goaltender Michael DiPietro to a two-year deal worth $812,500 annually.

The timing was no accident.

DiPietro was days away from hitting the market as a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. Instead, Boston made sure he stayed put.

He earned it. No question about that.

Down in Providence this past season, DiPietro quietly put together one of the best goaltending performances in the AHL. He finished with a 26-8-5 record, a stingy 2.05 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and four shutouts.

His efforts earned him the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award, given to the league’s top goaltender, and a spot on the AHL First All-Star Team.

With numbers like those, the Bruins didn’t just keep a depth piece. They locked in a legitimate option for the NHL backup job next season.

But that brings us to the elephant in the room: Joonas Korpisalo.

The 31-year-old has three years left on his deal, which carries a $3 million cap hit. That’s a steep price for someone who, frankly, didn’t deliver this past year.

He posted a .893 save percentage and a 2.90 GAA across 27 games.

On top of that, he was vocal about being unhappy with how little he played.

That’s not ideal, especially when Jeremy Swayman has clearly taken over the starter’s role, and DiPietro’s now pushing for the No. 2 spot.

Keeping Korpisalo doesn’t make much sense anymore. Not at that cap hit. Not with DiPietro ready. And not when the team’s trying to free up money to fix other parts of the roster.

There’s a good chance Bruins GM Don Sweeney is already working the phones. With a soft goalie market this summer, there could be teams out there, even cap-strapped ones, willing to take a chance on Korpisalo if Boston retains a portion of his salary.

In the meantime, DiPietro has put himself in a perfect spot. He’s younger, cheaper, and coming off a red-hot season. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if he shows up to camp and steals that backup job outright.

Korpisalo might not be gone just yet, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time.