The Boston Bruins met with the media today and several players explained that they were dealing with serious injuries as the playoffs wound down. Tuukka Rask in particular revealed that he has a torn labrum in his hip and will undergo surgery this month. The veteran goaltender will face a long recovery that is expected to keep him out until December or January, but that doesn’t mean his time in Boston is over if he has anything to say about it. Rask, an unrestricted free agent, hopes to return to play for the Bruins.
Even dealing with a hip injury all season–Rask said he first felt the injury during the playoff bubble last year–the 34-year-old netminder posted a .913 save percentage in 24 appearances. Those numbers actually improved in the playoffs, even if it was obvious that he was dealing with an injury of some sort in the Bruins second-round loss to the New York Islanders.
Both Rask and Jaroslav Halak are scheduled to become free agents this summer, but Rask explained that he only wants to play for the Bruins moving forward. What that means in terms of a contract extension isn’t clear, especially as the Boston front office considers a transition to young Jeremy Swayman as the team’s starting goaltender. Swayman had a .945 save percentage in ten games this season, but is obviously still an unproven commodity at the NHL level. The 22-year-old will be entering the second year of his entry-level contract in 2021-22, leaving plenty of cap room for the Bruins to insulate him with a veteran partner.
Though Rask’s season didn’t end the way he hoped, there’s no question how much he means to the Bruins franchise. Over a 14-year career he has posted a 306-163-66 record, registered a .921 save percentage, won the Vezina, the Jennings, and was even part of the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup team (though he did not play in the postseason). That .921 mark puts him third all-time behind only Dominik Hasek and Johnny Bower, while his win total ranks 32nd.
Coming off an eight-year, $56MM contract, Rask will obviously have to settle for a pay cut on his next deal. Still, if he can get healthy enough to contribute and wants to return to Boston, an extension makes sense for both sides.
As a Bruins fan, I 100% want him back. It annoys me when all the bandwagon idiots call for his head.
I feel like this is Fluery situation, if the B’s dont get him signed that he will get signed by Seattle and have a resurgence.
Lol pev, your an idiot. He sucks and always has.
Lol you’re either an idiot or a troll. He sucks yet he has won a Vezina trophy, Jennings trophy, has the 3rd highest save percentage in NHL history and has won the most games in Bruins history. Do you think the Bruins make the playoffs and get to the SC finals as much as they have with Raycroft in goal? Didn’t think so. Here’s 20 bucks and go buy yourself a clue.
A resurgence to what? Losing? You either win the cup or you lose.
He’s 34 with a torn labrum that will never be the same.
Time to let go. You’ve got a younger cheaper version in Swayman.
You fans hold onto your stars waaaaaay to long. Big Papi was great. Couldn’t run. Time to go. Larry Bird. Couldn’t walk. Time to go.
Why don’t you bring in King Henrik as a backup? He was real good. Was it tough to let go of Cheevers? How about Andy? I love fans who hold onto players with nothing left in the tank as they will never be the same again. Ask yourself this-and this is what I ask my staff DAILY-“Will he win a SC in three years?” Nope. Time to move on.
I always ask my clients,do you want money or location? Seattle would throw money at him,and it would be dumb money,but the Bruins have goalies in the system. This is not even close to Fluery. How BTW has carried his club. Rask? Never has. But at 34 w/a torn labrum is going to drink from the fountain of Bull & Finch and reel off 3 SC’s.
Why the heck was he playing then? Clearly wasn’t right vs NYI. Would’ve been better having Swayman play
@pev4 – I’m with @Dave on this one. A torn labrum is one of the two or three worst injuries to have for a goalie, along with groin problems and the C-word. Unless he shows magical healing powers, he may very well struggle to play at a high enough level. And @driftcat28 2’s question is right. Why was he playing? Sounds like a trust issue from Sweeney and the coaching staff. We saw that in Montreal with Romanov and Caufield, before somebody wised up.
Torn labrum… I don’t know if it’s the same with hips, but plenty of MLB pitchers have had their careers derailed with labrum tears in their shoulders mostly because they’re never able to regain their previous form due to decreased velocity, control or both. With the hip, being able to have maximum flexibility is a must for a goalie. Furthermore, why the heck was he playing with a torn labrum? Swayman should have been in there, at least he was healthy.
Considering his age, I may not want to take my chances with Rask. He may come back the same, but the odds are against him. I guess it all comes down to how the Bruins organization feels about their goalie options without Rask and Halak as well, but he’s 36. That only leaves Swayman.
I don’t want to think this way, but perhaps the Bruins allowed Rask to play with this kind of injury because they had no intentions of bringing him back. No matter the reason, it was not a smart move to keep putting him out there with a labrum tear.
Bye, bye Rask. If it wasn’t for Tim Thomas that stiff would not have a ring. Lost a 3-0 aeries lead to Flyers, lost game seven to Chicago amd lost games 6 & 7 to Blues. No heart, Guy is a loser. C ya