Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney is staying busy ahead of Tuesday’s noon kickoff for free agency, securing new deals for Henri Jokiharju, John Beecher, and Michael DiPietro as part of the team’s internal preparations.
Jokiharju has inked a three-year deal worth $9 million, carrying a $3 million average annual value (AAV). That figure marks a slight decrease from his current $3.1 million contract, set to expire tomorrow. Once this new contract runs its course, Jokiharju will become an unrestricted free agent.
Beecher has agreed to a one-year contract valued at $900,000, reflecting a slight dip from the $925,000 average annual value (AAV) of his entry-level deal. Once this new agreement concludes, he’ll become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and will be eligible for a qualifying offer of $940,000.
Michael DiPietro has secured a two-year contract extension worth $1.625 million, featuring an average annual value (AAV) of $812,500. Originally set to hit Group 6 unrestricted free agency at noon tomorrow, DiPietro now benefits from an upgraded deal compared to his expiring one, which carried a $775,000 AAV. His previous contract was a two-way arrangement with a $200,000 salary at the AHL level. In contrast, the new deal is one-way, guaranteeing him $775,000 in the first year and $812,500 in the second.
One contract worth a closer look is DiPietro’s. The fact that it’s a one-way deal could signal one of two possibilities (according to some fans):
To start, the one-way nature of DiPietro’s contract might serve as a potential deterrent for teams considering a waiver claim if the Bruins try to assign him to Providence. The complication arises if multiple teams place claims—any team that successfully claims him wouldn’t be able to assign him to their AHL affiliate without first offering him to the next club in the waiver line. In other words, if Team X puts in a claim, they can’t simply stash him in the AHL, which reduces the significance of the salary as a disincentive.
Second, what does this mean for hockey’s biggest kept secret, an unhappy Joonas Korpisalo? Well, DiPietro is an unproven goaltender, at least at the NHL level. It might be premature to suggest giving him the backup role in Boston and exploring trade options for Korpisalo at this point. It might be more prudent to wait until training camp and see if DiPietro could push for the backup job in Boston. That of course is my opinion.
However, there are some whispers among some NHL execs that suggest Sweeney has explored the trade market for Korpisalo and continues to do just that.
Swapping out Korpisalo for DiPietro would free up roughly $2.2 million in cap space for the Bruins—flexibility that could prove valuable when the trade deadline opens tomorrow. However, if the move backfires, it might come with long-term consequences. Personally, that’s not a risk I’d be eager to take in July; I’d prefer to wait until October before making that call.
Dom - Hockey 