PLYMOUTH — Andrew Raycroft has seen plenty of goalies thrive with the Bruins over the years. 

From Jaroslav Halak to Anton Khudobin to Linus Ullmark, Boston has developed a lengthy track record of getting the best out of whichever netminder is manning the pipes in a black-and-gold sweater.

And the former Bruins goalie and 2004 Calder Trophy winner fully expects that trend to continue this upcoming season with Boston’s latest addition in net, Joonas Korpisalo.

Korpisalo, acquired in the June trade with Ottawa that centered on Ullmark, was arguably the worst starting goalie in the league last season on an admittedly dreadful Senators squad. 

The 30-year-old Korpisalo posted a 21-26-4 record last season in Ottawa with an .890 save percentage. His goals saved above expected rate of -16.7 last season ranked 97th out of 98 eligible goalies in 2023-24, per MoneyPuck.

But Raycroft is banking on a clean slate — and the tutelage of Boston’s longtime goalie whisperer Bob Essensa — that will help Korpisalo reassert himself behind Jeremy Swayman on the depth chart. 

“He’s got the talent,” Raycroft said of Korpisalo while speaking at the Bruins Fan Fest in Plymouth earlier this season. “I really don’t take a lot into what happened in Ottawa. They were just so bad. … So you have to imagine — after Khudobin, Jonas Gustavsson, Manny Fernandez. 

“You go all the way back to these guys that have come in here — like Jaro Halak — to rehab themselves, they have all done pretty well. And I think that Goalie Bob and this team has that track record that you should be positive about. … If you can flip Korpisalo into half of what Ullmark is, then you have a great asset.” 

Raycroft referenced Korpisalo’s brief stint with the Kings in 2022-23 as a sign of what the netminder can offer on a stronger team — with the Finnish product sporting a 7-3-1 record and a .921 save percentage over 11 games after getting dealt to Los Angeles. 

In particular, Raycroft points to Boston’s layered and structured zone defense as a sizable advantage for any Bruins netminder — creating more predictably in terms of where shots are generated from. 

The Bruins have long held court as one of the top defensive teams in the league over the years, although last season did see some regression. Even though Boston ranked fifth in the league in goals against per game (2.70) last season, they also coughed up 11.44 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 play — which ranked 24th in the league (per Natural Stat Trick). 

The addition of a strong two-way pivot like Elias Lindholm and a hefty blueliner like Nikita Zadorov who can usher skaters out of Grade-A ice should help cut down the high-danger looks Boston was prone to give up last season. 

“The goalies are always a product of the circumstance in front of them,” Raycroft explained. “And that’s why I go to Korpisalo and his ability to play behind this. Really the key is the way they play. And especially when 37 [Patrice Bergeron] was there, you always knew where the shots were coming from. The backside is taken away, this is taken away, that’s taken away. 

“Of course, there’s seam plays that are going to get made. That’s just the way the game is now, but the goalies have a pretty good understanding of where everything’s coming from and where the danger areas are for them. … There’s no question that the zone and the way the centermen have to play —and  you talk about how hard it is for the centermen to play [the system], it benefits goaltenders.”

As for Swayman, Raycroft has already preached patience when it comes to the ongoing contract negotiations between the team and the restricted free agent — stressing that the days leading up to training camp should see talks between all parties ramp up in hopes of putting pen to paper. 

For Raycroft, the primary question facing Swayman this season is not what his final payout will be — but rather how he will fare in his first season as Boston’s unquestioned, No. 1 netminder.

Even with Swayman’s stock at an all-time high following his dominant playoff run this spring, he’s never appeared in more than 44 games in a single season — with the trade of Ullmark putting Boston’s revamped goalie corps in uncharted waters this season. 

Still, Raycroft believes that Swayman’s reputation of elevating his play should carry on, especially with the weight of Boston’s success in 2024-25 resting on his shoulders as the franchise fixture in net. 

“I think you talk to the guys that were around when he came up, and they all say they knew he had it — whatever it is — right away,” Raycroft said of Swayman. “I know from former players to guys that are playing now, they all have 100% confidence in his ability to be a leader on this team and take over. You guys know his character and his personality. 

“That’s what he is in real life, and you know he’s going to work as hard as any [goalie]. Again, the key is — a starting goalie in the NHL, it isn’t about playing well for a couple days. It’s fighting your way out of a bad week. And he hasn’t had to do it yet, so it’ll be a little bit different. But he’s gonna do it. He’s gonna figure it out. And that’ll be exciting.”