The Boston Bruins are facing a dilemma with goaltender Jeremy Swayman still unsigned as opening night approaches. With less than a week until the season kicks off, Joonas Korpisalo is set to be the starting goalie on October 8, but uncertainty remains about the backup position. Recently, the Bruins claimed Jiri Patera from the Vancouver Canucks as a potential option. Patera had signed a two-year, two-way deal in Vancouver, initially serving as their No. 3 goalie behind Thatcher Demko and Arturs Silovs, but fell to a fourth-place position over the summer. Despite being projected as the third-stringer, he became less critical after the addition of veteran Kevin Lankinen.
In the minors, the Bruins have Brandon Bussi, yet his preseason performance has been inconsistent. However, he showed improvement with 13 saves in a recent 4-1 win over Philadelphia. With Patera joining the team, the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, will have both Bussi and Michael DiPietro for depth.
Patera, a 25-year-old who was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the sixth round of the 2017 draft, has played eight NHL games, recording a 3-3-1 record, a 3.57 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. He spent part of three seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL, where he had an 11-10-4 record and a 2.99 goals-against average during the 2023-24 season.
The Bruins have hit a standstill in contract talks with Swayman and are prepared to wait until the December 1 deadline for an agreement. In Swayman’s absence, who had performed well in the postseason but shared duties with former teammate Linus Ullmark, Boston will depend on Korpisalo as their primary goaltender.
The Bruins can either sign Patera as the backup in Boston or place him on waivers to send him to Providence if no claims are made.
Leave a Reply