The Boston Bruins made a major move earlier this offseason, trading star goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and the 25th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft (Dean Letourneau). With this move, the Bruins officially broke up the NHL’s top goalie tandem, and Jeremy Swayman will now own the crease.

While the Bruins have added an experienced goalie in Korpisalo, it is not guaranteed that he will be the club’s backup. GM Don Sweeney made it clear that top goalie prospect Brandon Bussi will also have the chance to earn an NHL spot.

Here is what Sweeney said on the matter before the 2024 NHL Entry Draft: “I don’t want to lose sight of Brandon in the sense that he’s paid his dues, and he wants his opportunity to be in the National Hockey League. If he beats out, in this case, all likelihood Joonas, then we’ll have to give him the opportunity.”

With this, for the first time in a while, there is a clear goalie battle to watch at the Bruins’ training camp.

Korpisalo, 30, is coming off a disastrous season with the Ottawa Senators, recording a 21-26-4 record, a .890 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA. It is precisely why there is a real risk with the Bruins acquiring him, as he has a $3 million cap hit until the end of the 2027-28 season. However, there is reason to believe he can bounce back in Boston.

Just back in 2022-23 with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings, Korpisalo recorded an 18-14-4 record, a .914 SV%, and a 2.87 GAA. Thus, he has shown he can be a solid goalie when playing his best. He will need to show the Bruins he has bounce-back potential during the preseason to land the backup job officially.

Yet, Bussi has done enough to warrant consideration for an NHL job. He has been nothing but excellent since joining the Providence Bruins, and that continued in 2023-24. In 41 appearances, he sported a 23-10-5 record and .913 SV%. He also had a .924 SV% in 32 games with Providence in 2022-23.

The Bruins have a big decision to make. While Korpisalo has plenty of experience and has had some NHL success, Bussi, who is now waiver-eligible, should not be ruled out. It will be a fun battle to watch during the preseason.