The Boston Bruins have been associated with a specific brand of hockey. For better or worse, that reputation has led to some of their players engaging in intimidation and fights more often than typical.
Heavy.com has proposed a trade that would see the Bruins eliminate their logjam in net and acquire the feisty Arber Xhekaj from their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Bruins Acquire:
- Arber Xhekaj
Canadiens Acquire:
- Joonas Korpisalo
The Bruins get a 6-foot-4, 240 lbs left-handed defender Xhekaj. The 24-year-old is an undrafted player who has played 165 career NHL games. In 2024-25, he recorded six points, 118 penalty minutes, 180 hits, and 63 blocks while averaging 14:37 of ice time per game. With recent signings, his future with the Canadiens is cloudy.
Joonas Korpisalo gives the Canadiens a solid goaltender to share the net with Sam Montembeault. The 6-foot-3, 199 lbs goaltender was initially drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets 62nd overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft. This past year, he had a record of 11-10-3 to go along with a 2.90 goals against average (GAA), a .893 save percentage (SV%), and three shutouts.
This one-for-one trade gives each team something that will improve their respective teams, while also being a better fit with their new teams.
Joonas Korpisalo Traded Will End Goalie Logjam
The 31-year-old netminder came to the Bruins in March of 2024, as part of a deal that sent Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. He still has three years remaining on a five-year contract paying him $4 million a season.
However, it might be time for the Bruins to have youngster Michael DiPietro take over the backup reins. The ink has hardly dried on the 26-year-old’s two-year extension. The only issue is that his new contract makes him waiver-eligible. That means if they ever need to send him down to the AHL for any reason, 31 other teams can put in a claim.
DiPietro is focused on earning a position with the team out of training camp. After all, the Bruins gave him new life in his hockey career.
“Boston is the team that really gave me a second chance on my career after getting traded from Vancouver,” DiPietro said to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. “I kind of had to start from the ground up when I got to Boston.”
“Everybody that goes into an NHL training camp wants to make an NHL roster, and for myself, that’s no different.”
A goalie tandem of DiPietro and Jeremy Swayman makes considerably more sense than Swayman and Korpisalo to a rebuilding team. DiPietro had a 26-8-5 record in 40 games played in the AHL last season.
Xhekaj Will Improve Bruins’ Defensive Depth
With the recent contract extension to Canadiens’ defender Jayden Struble, Xhekaj may find himself on the outside looking in. The Bruins’ decision to add him would then make sense from the Canadiens’ point of view as well.
The rugged defender is not afraid to throw the body – including his fists. During his three seasons in the NHL, he has fought 22 times.
Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the Bruins acquired Tanner Jeannot to allow Nikita Zadorov to focus on playing. Acquiring Xhekaj follows that same thought process.
Clearing out the logjam in net and adding a depth defensive piece that plays “Bruins hockey” is a clear win for Boston fans.
