Joonas Korpisalo didn’t mince words when asked about his expectations for next season with the Bruins. “I’m going to push for more games,” he said bluntly during the team’s breakup day.
Korpisalo appeared in 27 games this season, finishing with an 11-10-3 record while backing up Jeremy Swayman, who was navigating his first full season as Boston’s No. 1 goalie. Swayman, fresh off an eight-year contract extension, struggled to find consistency, posting a 22-29-7 record with a 3.11 goals-against average and .892 save percentage over 58 starts. His rocky year was made tougher by missing all of training camp and the preseason due to lengthy contract negotiations.
Boston Bruins Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo Robbed Of A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity | Yardbarker
Joonas Korpisalo
Despite the dip in Swayman’s performance, GM Don Sweeney said the goalie was firm in believing his heavy workload wasn’t to blame. Still, the inconsistency opened the door for Korpisalo to make his case for a larger role. “That internal competition is something we need to bring back,” Sweeney said. “There were stretches where Korpisalo was outstanding and deserved more starts, and other moments where we had to rely on Swayman to bounce back and be our guy. If we’re going to win, we need him performing at his best.”
Sweeney emphasized that Boston’s struggles weren’t solely on Swayman but believes that a competitive push from Korpisalo could help elevate both goalies. “It shouldn’t be a given who starts,” he said. “That edge, that fight for the net—we want that back.”
Swayman acknowledged that Korpisalo’s support meant a lot throughout a tough season, but with both goaltenders combining for $11.25 million in cap space annually, the Bruins might be leaning toward a more balanced goalie rotation in 2025-26. Whether Swayman retains the starter’s crease or splits time more evenly with Korpisalo remains one of the biggest questions heading into next year.