( Photo Credit: Sam Navarro/ Imagn Images )

By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz

When the news broke on June 24th, hours before Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, that the Boston Bruins had traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, few Bruins fans were thrilled to see Joonas Korpisalo returning in the trade. At the time, it was generally accepted that Ullmark was moved for salary reasons, anticipating the star goaltender would come with a higher price tag after his contract expired the following year. What wasn’t expected was, statistically, the worst-performing goaltender of the 2023-24 season coming back at just two million dollars cheaper than the Vezina Trophy winner. Analysts, podcasts, and fans immediately took to social media to lambast the Bruins for making the trade and calling management under question.

Fast-forward to December and the two goaltenders have practically done a 180. Korpisalo is 6-2-1 through his first ten games in Boston. He’s tied for sixth in Goals Against per Game (2.40), 17th in Save Percentage (.909%), and has already tied his career best with two shutouts. On the other hand, Ullmark is 8-7-2, with a 2.70 Goals Against and a .903 Save Percentage in Ottawa.

Some could attribute Korpisalo and Ullmark’s reversal of form to their new squads, with Boston generally considered a more defensively stout team, but that wasn’t necessarily the case. Advanced analytics suggest that Boston and Ottawa were roughly comparable, middle-of-the-pack teams in the 2023-24 season in Expected Goals For/Against, Puck Possession, and Chances For/Against, and several of those statistics still favor the Senators in the early goings of 2024-25.

The real difference maker for the Bruins is on their coaching staff: Goaltending Coach Bob Essensa. “Goalie Bob” has been with Boston since 2003 and has developed a reputation as one of the best goaltending coaches in the business. Under his tutelage, Bruins goaltenders have earned three Vezina Trophies, three Jennings Trophies, a Calder Trophy, and a Conn Smythe. Essensa has also compiled a list of goaltenders who either had career years in Boston or had bounce-back seasons while serving as a backup: Andrew Raycroft, Alex Auld, Anton Khudobin, Chad Johnson, Jaroslav Halak, and the aforementioned Linus Ullmark.

Per MoneyPuck.com, before signing with the Bruins, Ullmark’s best season by Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) was 1.0 exactly. During his 2022-23 Vezina campaign, the number ballooned to 42.4 GSAx. Jaroslav Halak was relegated to the minors in his final season with the Islanders with a -14.6 GSAx. His first two seasons with Goalie Bob yielded a cumulative 20.0, so there was evidence to support Korpisalo seeing a similar turnaround with Boston.

So far, it looks like Essensa has worked his magic again. Korpisalo finished the 2023-24 season with -16.1 GSAx, good for 97th out of 98 eligible goaltenders. This year, he has a respectable 2.4 GSAx through his first ten starts with the Bruins, which currently leads the team and stands above other recognizable names like Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper, and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Korpisalo’s performance to date more closely resembles the coveted deadline prize that the LA Kings paid a bounty to acquire two years ago than the statistically worst goaltender in the league from last season. The Bruins have needed every save he has made through their uneven start, and if he maintains his form, there should be plenty more to come.