At one point in the season, the Boston Bruins were dominating the Atlantic Division rankings. However, that story remained unfinished when one rough defeat after another pushed the team to the sinister depths of the standings. The Bruins, however, have a lot of fight left in them, and their showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins was a clear demonstration of that.
As the Bruins strive to regain their form, the Boston front office has more on its plate. A particularly nagging trade issue may be at the top of the team’s list of priorities, but unfortunately, the Bruins have made little notable progress on that front.
The Joonas Korpisalo Issue Remains Unsolved for the Boston Bruins
Korpisalo now has two back-to-back impressive performances to his credit. The Finnish goalie rose to the occasion twice, first against the Calgary Flames on Jan. 8, and then for a shutout against the Penguins on Jan. 11. However, the Bruins would like to trade the 31-year-old and have been studying the market to that end for a while now, but with little success.
The terms and conditions of the netminder’s contract are a primary reason why the management has had so little luck in conversations about a potential trade. The netminder is signed to a five-year, $20 million contract with the Bruins, of which he has two years left. The goalie also has a 10-team no-trade list, which is enough to intimidate any suitors interested in Korpisalo.
“…his lackluster performance, combined with the fact that he still has two seasons after this one left on a five-year, $20 million ($4M AAV) contract, has made it difficult to find a dance partner on the trade market. He also has a 10-team no-trade clause,” explained James Murphy, writing for RGMedia.
Moreover, as Marco Di’Amico has recently pointed out, the NHL trade market is not particularly dynamic at this point either. Most NHL teams, as a scout has rightly noted, are looking for the same kind of players. “…every team is looking for a 2C or a good right-shot, physical, minutes-eating defenseman.”
Moreover, even if they were looking for a goalie, Korpisalo has yet to make a statement. It isn’t easy to view him as an upgrade for any team. The San Jose Sharks and the Bruins were engaged in discussions related to the netminder, but even if something were to happen to that end, it would have to wait.
At the end of the day, the Bruins may just have to waive Korpisalo. It wouldn’t be the most profitable move, but it would be something. “If the Bruins decide to waive Korpisalo, they will gain a bit of cap relief (up to the “buried threshold”) but still pay the Finnish netminder his full salary for this season,” Murphy noted.
The Bruins are clearly in a tight position with Korpisalo right now. As Boston remains in contention for getting the most out of this season, how the management deals strategically with the goalie issue remains to be seen.
