If you thought Tuukka Rask was a polarizing figure the past 12 seasons while he was in uniform for the Bruins, just wait until he spends the next half of a season (or more) outside the organization while rehabilitating his surgically repaired hip for a potential return to the Boston lineup.
Rask’s return seems to be in general manager Don Sweeney’s plan for Boston’s goaltending in the 2021-22 season. The beginning of that plan is to lean on the duo of newly signed Linus Ullmark and rookie Jeremy Swayman.
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
It’s a goalie controversy before the Bruins hold their summer development camp, never mind training camp or the start of the season. And it’s going to be juicy here, where the only goalie controversy the past decade was whether you were in Rask’s camp or you were delusional enough to believe Martin Jones could’ve helped the Bruins accomplish what they did with Rask in net.
There are many risks involved in what Sweeney did with his goaltending Wednesday on the first day of free agency. First off, four years at $5 million per season for Ullmark, who has two years of NHL experience at 27 years old, is a gamble. People haven’t stopped squawking about paying Rask $7 million, a deal he signed just before winning the Vezina Trophy. Now for $2 million less they’re bringing in a guy who’s been under siege in Buffalo.
You can point to Ullmark’s respectable numbers (.912 career save percentage, 5.4 and 5.5 goals saved above average each of the past two seasons) on scrubby teams. But you have to also take into account he’s never played in a pressure environment in the NHL. Coming to Boston is going to be like going from Buffalo to, well, Boston! And there’s going to be the challenge from Swayman. And then to cap it off Sweeney’s going to dangle the possible return of Rask over him. (For what it’s worth Sweeney put a positive spin on potentially having three goalies for the playoffs, especially as injury insurance.)
Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa has worked wonders with Rask, Tim Thomas, and Jaroslav Halak, who actually had poor underlying numbers with the New York Islanders before he escaped their porous defense and turned around the narrative of his career at 33 with the Bruins. Halak, though, had a track record as a former No. 1 in the NHL. Ullmark has basically been playing glorified AHL hockey since he was elevated from the actual AHL to the franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since Paul Gaustad was considered a good player.
Ullmark will probably be fine. Or Swayman might beat him out and be the No. 1. That’s all well and good, and then we can worry about whether the Bruins have enough secondary scoring (heard that one before) or enough bulk on defense (again, different year, same old song). But what the Bruins really don’t need is the spirit of Tuukka Rask circling their crease every time there’s a bad goal allowed or a losing streak that lasts more than three games.
Because look at it this way: if the Ullmark/Swayman experiment works, why would you want to mess with that by introducing a soon-to-be-35-year-old Rask, with a repaired hip, more than half a year removed from playing in the NHL, and wavering on whether he wants to ever play again, into the picture?
Latest Bruins News
- NHL November Outlook – Atlantic Division
- Rangers Continue To Roll, Sweeping Weekend Games Over Flyers/Bruins
- Rangers Start Rough Five-Game Stretch With 5-3 Win Over Devils
- The Way Too Early NHL Power Rankings
- NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets
By the same token, if Ullmark/Swayman flops, why would Rask want to enter the picture as some sort of savior when he’s coming off injury and there might not be anything to salvage. After all, we don’t know how Ullmark will respond to playing NHL games that mean something even as early as November and December. And for all the greatness we saw from Swayman last season and can predict for him for the future, the road to an illustrious NHL career is sprayed with the rotted corpses of goalies that suffered sophomore jinxes and rebounded (and ones that didn’t). Can you hear me Carter Hart?
All these goalie machinations, which also include the trade of Dan Vladar to Calgary for a third-round draft pick, come as the veteran core grows older, as David Krejci continues to weigh his options (leaving the Bruins without a legit No. 2 center) and Charlie McAvoy sits by licking his chops for his $9 million contract extension.
This might not have been the best time to take such a major risk with the goaltending. Braden Holtby or Jonathan Bernier might’ve been a better placeholder for Rask/mentor for Swayman. Maybe Philipp Grubauer would’ve made sense as the long-term No. 1/1A with Swayman, if Boston was willing to cut ties with Rask once and for all. But it’s almost as though the Bruins are worried that Rask, who has said he only wants to play in Boston, might show up elsewhere and make them look bad.
If the Bruins have faith in the Ullmark/Swayman duo, though, they should put them in the best position to succeed — a place where they don’t have Tuukka Rask looming over their shoulder all season.
Loading...
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
-
Ep 75: Hockey After Dark
by Full Press Coverage on November 15, 2023 at 3:12 am
Jim and Chris are back for the first edition of Full Press Hockey After […]
-
Ep 74: Drama In Ottawa, McAvoy Suspended, NHL Rumors, and More!
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 1:27 pm
In a jam-packed episode, Jim and Chris discuss the drama in Ottawa with […]
-
Off to Motown: Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey […]
-
What's on Russ's Mind: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Russ Cohen of Full Press Hockey, […]
-
Off To Alberta To Check On The Edmonton Oilers
by Full Press Coverage on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Avry Lewis-McDougall of the […]
-
Ep 87: Captain Brad Marchand, New Season Expectations, Bruins Hockey Is Back
by Full Press Coverage on October 11, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Ian and Chris return for the start of the Bruins season as they talk Brad […]
-
Ep 86: David Krejci Announces Retirement
by Full Press Coverage on August 14, 2023 at 10:28 pm
Ian and Chris react to David Krejci's retirement. Learn more about your ad […]
-
S5Ep13 - Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Jim Biringer on November 28, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey in a […]
-
S5Ep12 - Time For William Nylander To Get Paid
by Jim Biringer on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey […]
-
Avalanche at Ducks - Canucks at Flames - Capitals at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Avalanche at Ducks, Canucks at Flames, Capitals at […]
-
Sabres at Hurricanes - Red Wings at Canadiens - Kraken at Senators
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Sabres at Hurricanes, Red Wings at Canadiens, Kraken […]
-
Lightning at Stars - Blackhawks at Jets - Rangers at Predators - Islanders at Panthers
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 4:05 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Lightning at Stars, Blackhawks at Jets, Rangers at […]
-
Episode #147: Sloppy October Is Over?
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 8:37 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, Sean and Sarah finish out the […]
-
Episode #146: Spooky Luck
by Full Press Coverage on October 27, 2023 at 4:09 pm
On this episode of The Calder Farmstead, Mr. Anderson (Sean) and Tina […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 828
by Charlie Saunier on December 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Ep 828 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 L Vs Wild Preview Rangers & […]
-
Full Press Islanders - 12-1 - Take the 2 points and run
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Last night wasn't pretty but they found a way to win and that's what […]
-
Full Press Hurricanes - 12-1 - Carolina Falls 5-4 in Overtime Against the Islanders.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:30 pm
The Hurricanes thoroughly outshot the New York Islanders 43-16, but the […]
-
Leafs Digest - 12-1 - MASSIVE Trade Incoming? - Trade Reports INTENSIFYING
by BCM on December 1, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Nick Gosse and Darius Domingues break down recent reports highlighting […]
-
Full Press Kraken - 12-1 - Shootout loss, Maple Leafs, Marner
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Recapping the shootout loss to Toronto. Learn more about your ad choices. […]
-
Full Press Wild - 12-1 - Recapping a dominating Wild win over the predators.
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Win, Nashville, domination, Connor Dewar. Learn more about your ad […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
-
11/24 - Thanksgiving Recap, Jets/Dolphins, Week 12 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on November 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Ian and John react to all of the action on Thanksgiving Day and look ahead […]
-
11/23 - Thanksgiving Day Preview, Tom Brady, Top 5 NFL Teams
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Ian and John discuss the Thanksgiving Day slate of games in the NFL, Tom […]
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamada
by Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Ayako Hamada has had a wide and varied career through AAA, SHIMMER, TNA, […]
-
Ep. 262 - The In Season Tournament is Going Better Than Anyone Expected
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 12:56 am
Jet and Sap share their thoughts now that group play is over with in the […]
-
Ep 198: Week 13 vs Chiefs
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 8:20 pm
In this episode, co-hosts Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall are joined by Braden […]
-
Ep 316: Week 13 Fantasy Football Preview
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 4:08 am
In this episode, Kyle Serna and Brad Harvin provide a survival guide for […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
Ep 180: Hall of Fame Class Of 2024 Semifinalists Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Ira and Clark dissect the 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists. Learn […]
-
Ep 197: Recapping Weeks 11 & 12
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 11:26 pm
This episode is a double-dip in a good way. Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
“whether you were in Rask’s camp or you were delusional enough to believe Martin Jones could’ve helped the Bruins accomplish what they did with Rask in net”
Classic reductio ad absurdum. You acknowledge that Rask has been a “polarizing figure”. Then you declare that anyone who might have been a Rask “skeptic” must have wanted Martin Jones as a replacement. Cheap shots aside, you’d do well to respect your readers enough to know that if this many of them are anti-Rask, there’s a darned good reason. People don’t turn on a franchise goaltender on a whim. Especially in town with such a knowledgeable fan base.
You really should apologize for such a glib insult. Especially because it was Rask, injured or not, who was primarily responsible for the Bruins’ early exit from the 2021 playoffs. Come to think of it, it was Rask who was primarily responsible for the Bruins’ early exit from the 2020 playoffs, too.