The Bruins are now without their starting goaltender as the team announced (Twitter link) that Tuukka Rask has opted out of the rest of the playoffs. His statement is as follows:
I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family.
I want to thank the Bruins and my teammates for their support and wish them success.
The decision comes just days after Rask commented about the atmosphere in the bubble following Game Two against Carolina when he told reporters, including Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston, that it doesn’t feel like playoff hockey and with there being no fans, he equated the situation to that of an exhibition atmosphere. On a Zoom call with the media, including Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, before today’s game, GM Don Sweeney suggested that these comments weren’t a factor in his decision to leave. Instead, he indicated that Rask has a newborn child and two other young children at home and that being away from them proved to be too much of a mental strain on him though he also noted that Rask’s family is safe and healthy. Sweeney also stated that the organization is fully supportive of this decision.
Rask made both starts in the series against the Hurricanes as well as two appearances in the Round Robin and wasn’t at his sharpest, posting just a .904 SV% in those four contests. However, he was coming off one of the best regular seasons of his career, one that saw him with a .929 SV% and a 2.12 GAA in 41 games in the shortened campaign. Rask was also a key part of Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last year as he won all 15 of their games while compiling a 2.02 GAA with a .934 SV%.
With Rask gone, Jaroslav Halak becomes Boston’s undisputed starter for the rest of their postseason run. He’s certainly a strong backup option to have and has been a big part of their regular season success over the past couple of seasons where he appeared in over 45% of their games. Accordingly, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that he’d be making an appearance or two in the playoffs even if Rask remained with the team.
Halak is no stranger to the playoffs as he has appeared in five different postseasons before this year. His best showing came back in 2010 when he helped lead Montreal to two significant upsets before they bowed out. It was his performance there that helped get him an opportunity as a starting goalie, a role he has held for several seasons over his career so he shouldn’t have too much of an issue adjusting to the higher workload. Including his round robin appearance which counts in playoff stats this season, Halak has a .922 SV% with a 2.45 GAA in 31 games.
Boston’s goaltending depth has certainly taken a hit as the other two goalies they have in the bubble with them have limited experience. Maxime Lagace made a name for himself in Vegas during their inaugural season by getting the starting role by default for a while due to injuries but since then, he has almost played exclusively in the minors. Meanwhile, the other goalie on their roster is Dan Vladar, a 22-year-old who posted a stellar 1.79 GAA and a .936 SV% in 25 games with AHL Providence this season but does not have any NHL experience under his belt.
This will be Halak’s net for the rest of the way and he’ll be thrown into the fire quickly with the third game of their series against the Hurricanes less than two hours away.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
wth!?! not that Halak is bad. just rask is the better of the two.
I wonder if he got personally offended when big z and Cassidy didnt out and out support him after his comments about the atmosphere in the bubble.
So don’t get me wrong I know family comes 1st but if u r home sick and are not in shape and don’t feel like competing in August for the Stanley cup with Ur teammates then I think I would tell you to pack Ur bags get out thanks for quitting and we will win it without u.. And also maybe we will find u a new team for next year…. What at millionaire cry baby….
So family doesn’t actually always come 1st?
Family doesn’t always come first (especially when there is money to be made) and not every single human life needs to be saved (especially if it causes a minor inconvenience).
These are some of the things I’ve learned recently.
The guy has started the 2 playoff games and 2 round robin games. If he was unfit to play they wouldn’t have played him. Also, playoffs don’t pay. They may have bonuses, but these guys aren’t guaranteed a check for these games.
being a die hard bruin fan I am surprised but NOT disappointed. he has shown no motivation, intensity or effort besides going through the motions! his teammates deserved more than what he was giving…i understand its not the same this year but every team is still there competing for the cup…when a player shows no heart they don’t deserve to wear the sweater. my thoughts are he needs to be hone for good, trade him during the off season, he has always been a strange kind of duck! Haslov will be just as good if not better bc he cares about the integrity if the game and supports his teammates!
sorry…halak not haslov…
Well said. He looks like he’s waiting for a bus out there half the time. He has no emotion on the ice and that’s why he hasn’t become an elite goalie. Halak is more than capable if they can figure out how to score again
HUGE break for Carolina, but Halak is more than capable of filling in for Rask.
It’s hard to fault a player for opting out in time like this, but he should have done this earlier. They are lucky they have a good 1a option in Halak though.
The NHL seems to be a phenomenal job with the bubble so the risks of getting it are probably pretty small. I really hope it’s not just because of the backlash he got for his recent comments.
It’s ironic that this comes shortly after he said the playoffs aren’t as exciting among other things.
Shame an athlete can’t get themselves mentally prepared to make a run at a championship.
He is an amazing hockey player and apparently a great father and husband as well! Anyone who has something disparagingly to say about his decision needs to reevaluate themselves and their priorities.
Wrong. Maybe he should have made this decision before the team was counting on him. He opts out prior, fine. He abandons them half way through the first round? Not OK. His decision sounded like it was more fueled by the “feel” than any family considerations anyway. He’s using his family as a cop out. Hopefully Boston is just saying the “right things” publicly and they trash can this bum in the off season. Fair is fair. Abandon us and we abandon you.
He essentially said he’s opting out because he’s bored.
How dare someone change their mind! He probably was trying to “man up” and “power through it” until not being around his family reached the point of maximum justified effort so he did what he felt was right. Again, I say, “Anyone who has something disparagingly to say about his decision needs to reevaluate themselves and their priorities.”
Why? What would it change?
Halak would still be the starter and whoever is now the backup would be the backup.
Did he cost them a chance to make a trade or sign someone? No. Changes nothing.
Calm down.
Sorry Smartz. I got a gree with others here. Him deciding to opt out sooner wouldn’t have changed anything. And I’d rather have a focused player in goal rather than a distracted one. Not to say that I’m not disappointed, but I’m not at all upset with his decision.
its fine to opt out but doing so in tye middle of the first round isnt exactly the best look. really leaving your team out to dry here. i know family comes before team, but why the change in the past few days?
exactly my point, he was a great father and husband a month ago too so why would you commit and then leave your team in this position during the 2nd round. NO ONE would have blamed him if he opted out from the start!
Why did he agree to play and then change his mind? After all, he still has the same number of kids he did a week ago, right?
Do the math.
His wife is flipping out at home and he has to go put out that fire. She might have post-partum depression. For all we know, he might be saving his wife or even kids lives’ with this decision.
But, “rabble rabble rabble, he’s soft and we’re tough, rabble rabble rabble, get rid of the bum!!!.”
K.
While I agree with Rask’ take on there being no fans in the building, which is frankly the whole purpose of having sports teams, his decision to split in the middle of these “playoffs” also shows how out of sync todays atheletes are with the average fan. We can leave a job whenever we want too, but it likely won’t be there when we decide to come back.
Actually, if you use FMLA (which he would qualify for with the newborn child) your job would still be there for you when you get back.
You can’t just use FMLA anytime you want and for any reason. But more importantly, imagine being on an important project and your top (name your occupation) decides to just up and leave right in the middle of it? Not how the real world works. But if we’ve learned anything of late, sports is clearly not an essential enterprise.
You do realize the L in FMLA actually means leave. Not just leave the team but also the employer. Which means no pay check.
You do realize that a players salary includes the agreed upon component that a player will participate in the playoffs if healthy, don’t you? Is Rask giving back a portion of his salary now?
This would like an employee getting an advance and then quitting.
The difference isn’t between athletes vs. non-athletes or sports vs. “the real world”.
It’s between people with easily replaceable skill sets vs. people with skill sets that are harder to replace.
That’s the real world.
And that’s a very subjective area. The downhill effects of even what might seem a mundane job not attended to can be disasterous for many people.
Is a #1 goalie an essential job? You can decide that for yourself.
I would not allow any of my clients to do this to players,coaching staffs,or organizations that I deal with and negotiate with in good faith. And the morning of the game?
Family comes 1st is way overused . However He COMMITTED to play. Not all professions get to opt out. He SCREWED his teammates. Arnt they “family” too?
No, no they aren’t. And not all professions get to opt out because they aren’t professional athletes. Don’t act as though he works your typical 9-5
None of you commenting here are behind the scenes. Nobody knows what his teammates are feeling or saying. Let the man go be with his family. Who are any of you to question a father’s motives? After all, and at the end of the day, it’s just a game
It’s a comment board. It’s what we do. :)
Rask must be the only guy in the country who thinks watching the Red Sox from home with his family is more exciting than being in the NHL playoffs.
Crybaby hot take fans like Smartz1 (ironic name btw) really do not know what they’re talking about. Also if they didn’t have Rask in the regular season, there’s a chance they’re not where they are right now.
He should opted out before the start of this unique playoff run not during it…
Which would have changed … Nothing
Given comments he has made all season dont be surprised if he walks away from the final year of his contract. He might have already played his last NHL game.