The Jeremy Swayman situation does not seem good right now, and if you are a Boston Bruins fan, you may be wondering how general manager Don Sweeney, one of the greatest in the league, could have allowed this to continue for so long. Perhaps you’re wondering why he had the audacity to deal Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for Joonas Korpisalo, who struggled last season.
On paper, this appears to be quite poor. But please do not worry too much about this. Why? For starters, look at where Korpisalo played last season. He was in Ottawa, laboring just like his predecessor, Cam Talbot, had a year before.
If you haven’t heard, Talbot is expected to be the top player for the Detroit Red Wings this season as they attempt to reclaim their importance. In 2023-24, he had an excellent season for the Los Angeles Kings, recording three shutouts, a 0.913 save percentage, and a 2.50 GAA.
This is quite different from his performance in Ottawa the previous season, when he finished with one shutout, a 2.93 GAA, and a 0.898 save percentage. Although Talbot had a 0.656 quality start %, he also performed poorly in several games. Or was it simply the ineptitude of the squad he was playing for?
Joonas Korpisalo is in a much stronger position with the Boston Bruins.
Returning to his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier that season, he still had a 0.911 save % despite his 3.17 GAA. Put him on the Senators, and he and the rest of the team would struggle with a 0.890 save percentage and 3.27 GAA.
Listen, Ottawa isn’t the friendliest spot for netminders, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Linus Ullmark had his fair share of ugly starts. As for Korpisalo, I expect him to look more like the goalie who played for the Kings and even the Blue Jackets in 2022-23 than he did with the Senators last season.
He played for a dismal hockey club that, unless Ullmark lifts the squad on his own
