Korpisalo, acquired in the Linus Ullmark trade with Ottawa, looks forward to working with goalie coach Bob Essensa — and he already has been hugged by Jeremy Swayman.
www.bostonglobe.com
Hug No. 1 from the No. 1 hugger is in the books.
“I had one yesterday, so, finally,”
Joonas Korpisalo said of his first interaction with fellow Bruins goalie
Jeremy Swayman following Thursday’s captain’s practice at Warrior Arena.
Korpisalo was acquired in June from the Senators along with forward
Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round draft pick (
Dean Letourneau) for
Linus Ullmark, Swayman’s former hugging partner.
“It came as a surprise, but as days went by, I was really happy,” said Korpisalo. “I am excited to get back here and just get to work with the boys.
“Things happen for a reason. I’m here right now and super excited.”
A nine-year veteran, Korpisalo is slated to be Swayman’s primary backup, though he could be thrust into a bigger role in the unlikely event that Swayman, currently a restricted free agent, can’t come to terms on a new contract.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Korpisalo said. “We both do our best and I think the coaches know more. We just do our stuff, so we’ll see.”
Korpisalo (115-107-29, 3.06 goals against average) is particularly interested in working with goalie coach
Bob Essensa, who has helped guide three Bruins netminders (
Tim Thomas,
Tuukka Rask, and Ullmark) to Vezina Trophies.
“Seeing how the Boston goalies play here, I’m really excited to see Bob and get to work with him and see what’s on his mind to make my game better,” said Korpisalo. “We’ve been talking a lot. He’s not here yet but we’ve been catching up with each other throughout the summer.”
Ideally, the Bruins would love to see Korpisalo regain the form he flashed during a late-season run with the Kings in 2023 after he was traded by the Blue Jackets.
Based largely on that performance, Korpisalo landed a five-year, $20 million deal with Ottawa. The Senators are paying 25 percent of that contract, which runs through 2027-28.
“That was a good stretch,” said Korpisalo. “It was a good team. I got there pretty late, 10-15 games before the playoffs. But there’s something to learn from the playoffs. We didn’t go through. But I’ve had good stretches before, too. It’s just being myself. That’s pretty much it.”
He isn’t very worried about fitting into the Bruins’ systems.
“We get only one job, it’s to stop the puck, so that’s the same in every team,” said Korpisalo. “Obviously how the defensemen play and what the play calls for when playing the puck. I think that’s the biggest thing for a goalie and special teams.”
Korpisalo, who spent part of the summer in his native Finland, wore a vintage
Bruce Springsteen “Born in the USA” concert t-shirt in the locker room.
“I was in Helsinki a month ago, that’s where I bought this,” said Korpisalo, who listed “Born in the USA,” as his favorite Boss song. “Oh yeah, he came to Helsinki. He hasn’t been there many times. [I saw him] the first time in 2012 and again this summer.”
en.m.wikipedia.org
, on defense and up the middle. That is how you build a sturdy playoff team and potential Stanley Cup champion.
on the goaltending situation. BTW, they could go with Swayman and Bussi to see how that works, starting Korpi in Providence.
www.masslive.com
bostonhockeynow.com
because he's absolutely tiny in comparison to basically the entire team, haha.
