Bruins clear – The Boston Bruins have traded veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers for prospect Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round pick, clearing $3 million in salary cap space for each of the next two years.
When the Bruins moved Joonas Korpisalo out of Boston, it wasn’t just a shuffle of their goalie depth chart—it was a hard financial decision with immediate consequences.
Boston announced on Wednesday that it traded the veteran netminder to the New York Rangers in exchange for prospect Kalle Vaisanen and a 2028 fourth-round draft pick. For the Bruins, the payoff is straightforward: moving Korpisalo clears $3 million off their books for each of the next two years.
Vaisanen. who scored four points in 51 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. is more of a placeholder in the deal. Recouping a future fourth-round pick only adds polish to what was always. in practice. a familiar trade candidate—Korpisalo’s contract created too much salary-cap pressure for Boston to keep him.
Boston’s need for breathing room was clear. The Bruins were carrying more than $11 million tied up in goaltending, and Korpisalo’s exit reduces the drag. According to PuckPedia, the Bruins now have $10.7 million in cap space at this stage of the offseason.
Korpisalo spent two seasons in Boston. The Bruins took on his veteran contract as part of the deal with Ottawa involving Linus Ullmark. In his most recent stretch with Boston. Korpisalo looked like a serviceable option behind Jeremy Swayman. posting a .894 save percentage over 31 games as the backup this past year.
Still, the Bruins chose to move on. With Korpisalo gone, the early spotlight shifts to Michael DiPietro as Swayman’s backup. The 27-year-old DiPietro was acquired by Boston in a trade with Vancouver involving Jack Studnicka in October 2022.
DiPietro’s AHL résumé has been getting louder. He won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goalie in each of the past two seasons. In 2025-26, he also earned league MVP honors after posting a 34-8-1 record with a .930 save percentage over 45 games with the P-Bruins.
There’s another reason his name fits this moment: cost. DiPietro has a cap hit of $812,500, making him a far more affordable option than Korpisalo.
In one transaction, Boston tightened its budget and reshaped its goalie outlook—freeing salary cap space while giving a younger, award-winning backup the clearest path yet to a larger role.
Boston Bruins New York Rangers Joonas Korpisalo Kalle Vaisanen Michael DiPietro Jeremy Swayman Linus Ullmark AHL MVP salary cap