Rangers acquire goalie Joonas Korpisalo from Bruins: What it means for both teams

The New York Rangers opened Wednesday’s free-agent frenzy by making a trade, acquiring goalie Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round draft pick and forward prospect Kalle Vaisanen, the teams announced.Korpisalo is the leading candidate to back up starter Igor Shesterkin now that Jonathan Quick has retired. The 32-year-old has played that role in Boston the last two seasons, posting a 14-9-6 with a .894 save percentage, 3.15 goals against average and -8.94 goals saved above average in 2025-26, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s compiled 334 appearances across his 11-year career, including 55 in 2023-24 with the Ottawa Senators.The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Finn has two years remaining on a contract that carries a $3 million average annual value and a 10-team no-trade list.

What it means for the RangersThe Rangers are viewing it as a competition between Korpisalo and 24-year-old Dylan Garand for the No. 2 role, according to a league source. Garand signed a two-year contract carrying a $875,000 AAV on June 21, which is a two-way deal in year one and a one way in year two. The 2020 fourth-round pick finally made his NHL debut last season and performed well in three appearances (2-0-1, .948 SV% and 1.62 GAA), but his path to sticking on the NHL roster is no longer clear.A fourth-round pick of the Rangers in 2021, the 23-year-old Vaisanen posted four points in 51 games for AHL Hartford last season.Why the Bruins dealt KorpisaloKorpisalo, originally acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark trade, was an adequate backup for Jeremy Swayman for the last two seasons. But Korpislao carries a $3 million average annual value for each of the next two seasons. Clearing Korpisalo’s AAV gives the Bruins more flexibility to add on defense.It also allows Michael DiPietro to serve as Swayman’s No. 2. DiPietro, 27, was the AHL’s Goalie of the Year for the last two seasons. He is entering the second season of a two-year, $1.625 million contract. The Bruins acquired DiPietro from the Vancouver Canucks in the Jack Studnicka trade.The Athletic had listed a Korpisalo deal as the Bruins’ No. 3 offseason priority.Jul 1, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms