The Vancouver Canucks put four players on waivers on Tuesday but only really seemed concerned about one of them getting claimed: Phil Di Giuseppe.
The veteran winger had become a favourite of head coach Rick Tocchet with his hard-forechecking two-way game. Tocchet played him up and down the lineup and gave him a prominent role on the penalty kill when he was in the lineup. But at a camp with younger players pushing for jobs, Di Giuseppe ultimately got sent down.
“It’s a hard one,” said Tocchet. “He’s a solid guy and he’s had a really good camp. There’s numbers involved, there’s a lot more to it — the cap and LTIR, it’s over my head — but I hope he doesn’t get picked up, to be honest with you. He’s a guy that I still think, if he doesn’t get picked up, he’s still in the mix. He’s just an unreal guy.”
A Canuck did get claimed off waivers but it wasn’t Di Giuseppe; it was goaltender Jiri Patera, claimed by the Boston Bruins.
The desperate, desperate Boston Bruins.
The Bruins might lose both of their Vezina-caliber goaltenders
A few months ago, the Bruins had the best goaltending tandem in the NHL.
Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark were third and fifth in the NHL in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 30 games played, finishing right behind Thatcher Demko. Both finished top-seven in Vezina voting last season, which is unheard of for goaltenders splitting the net the way they did.
It was an untenable goaltending situation, not because the two were sharing a net but because Swayman became a restricted free agent in need of a new contract and was in line for a significant raise. The Bruins simply couldn’t afford both goaltenders: they had to choose one.
Unsurprisingly, the Bruins chose the younger goaltender, Swayman, and traded the 31-year-old Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for a first-round pick, bottom-six centre Mark Kastelic, and journeyman goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
It was a completely understandable trade to make but, unfortunately for them, they made the trade before signing Swayman to a new contract. As a result, the Bruins might go from having two Vezina-caliber goaltenders last season to none this season.
As a restricted free agent, Swayman doesn’t have a lot of leverage in contract negotiations but his biggest piece of leverage is a simple one: refusing to sign. He’s done exactly that, as he has felt the Bruins’ contract offers have been insufficient for arguably one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.
Bruins president Cam Neely insinuated that the Bruins have offered Swayman a hefty deal, saying that if he were Swayman, he would have, “64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now.”
Swayman’s agent shot back with a post on Instagram, saying, “This was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level.”
Negotiations have reached the point where Swayman is reportedly considering requesting a trade from the Bruins.
Swayman and the Bruins could still come together to sort out a deal before the start of the regular season but the Bruins claiming Jiri Patera off waivers suggests they’re truly worried that things won’t work out.
Patera goes from fifth-string to second-string
Let’s be blunt: Jiri Patera isn’t an NHL goaltender.
The 25-year-old Czech has played just eight games in the NHL with middling results. His .902 save percentage in those eight starts isn’t terrible but it’s also not particularly good.
Patera was signed by the Canucks because he’s a capable AHL goaltender who could potentially fill in for injuries in the NHL if necessary. He was expected to battle for starts with Nikita Tolopilo for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL but was most likely going to end up as the backup behind Tolopilo.
When the Canucks signed Kevin Lankinen, Patera went from fourth on the Canucks’ goaltending depth chart to fifth, at least once Thatcher Demko returns from his injury rehab. That was nice depth to have from the Canucks’ perspective but losing Patera isn’t exactly the end of the world.
With Patera claimed, the Canucks can instead keep prospect Ty Young in Abbotsford until Demko returns. The 20-year-old Young is eligible to return to the WHL for his over-age year but might not have a spot to return to on the Prince George Cougars, who have handed the net to Joshua Ravensbergen, one of the top goaltending prospects for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
For the Bruins, however, Patera wouldn’t be fifth on their depth chart; he jumps up to second.
If Swayman doesn’t re-sign with the Bruins, they’ll have to go with Korpisalo as their starter and Patera as his backup. Korpisalo is coming off a season as the Senators’ starter where he put up an .890 save percentage — one of the worst in the NHL.
It’s entirely possible that Korpisalo could revitalize his career in Boston under the tutelage of goaltending coach Bob Essensa, who has worked wonders with the Bruins’ goaltenders. It’s possible that Patera could prove that he is an NHL-caliber backup. But there’s no denying that a Korpisalo-Patera tandem would be an immense step down from Swayman-Ullmark.
Claiming the Canucks’ fifth-string goaltender to be their backup? The Bruins have to be desperate.
