When it comes to the prospect of Boston’s goalie rotation undergoing a major overhaul in the new year, the optics of Tuukka Rask donning his gear and taking part in full team practices at Warrior Ice Arena has stood as the most tangible precursor for months now of such a reshuffle.
But long before the 34-year-old netminder manned his usual spot between the pipes at Boston’s training facility in Brighton, the current sentries in place in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman were apparently well aware that Rask’s return was always on the docket.
Yes, a lot can change in the span of a couple of months when it comes to an older player’s rehab efforts and the composition of an NHL roster. Plans often tend to fall through or morph in a hurry over an 82-game slate of contests.
But if you’ve been paying attention to this team and the comments echoed by players, coaches and the organization’s top brass for months now — the news of Rask inking a PTO contract with Providence on Thursday shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.
And even though Boston’s decision to ink Ullmark to a four-year, $20-million contract this summer did raise some eyebrows in regards to the B’s long-term plans at the position — it sure seems as though the franchise set the parameters in place for Rask’s return long before he resumed skating at Warrior.
“We sat down with Jeremy and Linus at the start of the year, before opening night, and kind of spelled out what Tuukka’s plan would be here,” Bruce Cassidy said on Thursday. “The focus was on Ullmark and Swayman first. They were Boston Bruins. Tuukka is a great pro and was going to use the facility and rehab and see where it led. He had a timeline I think everyone was aware of, including those two, that he may or may not come back and play. So they knew from day one.
“They’ve been working the net together in practice. I can’t say enough about all three of them. Tuukka’s been a real pro. At first he was in here early, gone before most of the guys came in. He did not want to be a distraction, but eventually he needed to get live shots, so we worked that out.”
The inner workings of a hockey dressing room are routinely kept under wraps (even back in the good ol’ days when media was actually allowed into the players’ domain). But if you’re microwaving your popcorn in anticipation of embittered soundbites and malcontents emanating out of the B’s room — it sure seems like you’re going to be disappointed.
Or, at the very least, all parties involved are saying the right thing.
“I had a good meeting with (Don Sweeney) after last year and we talked for a while there. The biggest point for me was that if I feel great I want to try to come back. If I heal properly I want to try to come back,” Rask said over Zoom on Thursday. “And the only thing, at this point, is I want to help out. I’m not looking for a big contract. Like I said before, I just want to come and help out the guys and do my part that way.
“Obviously people from the outside are looking at controversy. There’s always going to be controversy when you play in Boston. So far, in sharing the net with Sway and Linus in practices, we get along great, and it’s been good. Like I said, I just want to help out as much as I can and be up for the task.”
Of course, we’ll probably hear the usual spiel from both Ullmark and Swayman when pressed about Rask’s inevitable return.
“We’ll take all the help we can get.”
“It can only help the team.”
“Yeah fersure, we just gotta get pucks in deep an-” (oh, wrong cliche?)
But at the end of the day, these netminders are only human. And even if this plan was mapped out way back in October, it’s only natural to assume that Rask’s pending arrival is going to make for some awkward and uncomfortable conversations about what’s the best step forward.
And frankly, the best solution to untangle the web that the Bruins now find themselves in … is awfully hard to discern at this juncture.
Had Rask arrived back in November, there likely would be a bit less resistance in terms of reshuffling this goalie grouping.
At that stage of the season, both Swayman and Ullmark were falling short of expectations — both posting goals saved above average rates in the negatives (in other words, they were relinquishing more goals than what was expected given the opposition’s shot volume and quality.)
But since late November — shortly after Sweeney labeled the state of the B’s netminding as “okay” — both Swayman and Ullmark have elevated their games. Perhaps the sight of Rask returning to the ice also played a part in this recent resurgence, but Boston has not been hampered by subpar goaltending for quite some time.
Since the calendar flipped to December, Swayman ranks fourth among eligible netminders (min. five starts) in save percentage (.939), while Ullmark ranks 10th with a .926 save percentage.
From Cassidy’s perspective, the addition of an effective Rask can only help this club moving forward — especially with the veteran fully recovered from a nagging hip ailment that plagued him all last year.
“I feel great,” Rask said. “The biggest issue for me was the catching of the joint and the pain that that created. So that all is gone and it makes a huge difference because every time I go to butterfly and get up I don’t have to think about it locking up on me again and creating that pain. So, I feel great.”
And in the grand scheme of things, such sentiment seems pretty valid. Signing Rask stands as the ultimate low-risk, high-reward maneuver for this season — especially given the fact that the deal will likely only be a pro-rated, one-year contract.
Even with both Ullmark/Swayman operating at a high level, you don’t let a player like Rask simply slip through the cracks at his asking price — not when he could easily pack his bags and lend his services to a team in need of netminding like Edmonton, Colorado, Toronto (as unlikely as it is) or plenty other contenders.
But when it comes to assessing the state of this goalie corps and the headaches that loom on the horizon, most of the consternation has little to do with Rask himself. As polarizing as he is, it’s hard to pass up taking a flier on a guy like Rask given the minimal money involved — and the potential reward if he’s on his game.
The issue lies in where the rest of the chips fall once Rask rejoins the NHL roster — especially considering the most likely outcome is a waiver-exempt Swayman getting sent down to Providence in order to secure more guaranteed reps.
Of course, considering Swayman’s impressive returns during his short time up in the NHL ranks, one has to wonder how copacetic the Alaska native would view such a scenario — even if No. 1 minutes down in Providence might be a better scenario than extended stretches on the shelf up with Boston.
But even though that roster switcheroo makes the most sense among the many options that Boston can make, it’s not a guarantee, based on Cassidy’s comments.
“We know we have an option with Swayman," Cassidy said. "That’s out there, that he does not need waivers. Doesn’t mean he’ll be the guy that has to go, but having one net for three goaltenders, if that’s the case, will be a challenge, and we’ll figure it out. But at the end of the day, we’ll do what’s best for the Bruins.”
Based on the comments I’ve seen on this site, it sure seems like most of the lamentation about Boston’s goalie situation falls on the situation with Ullmark — who, admittedly, does seem to be the square peg in a round hole as far tinkering with this segment of the roster.
As much as some have brought up the scenario in which Boston gets Ullmark to waive his no-movement clause and deals him to a team like the Oilers, that sure seems like a pipe dream.
Sure, the NHL is a business, but one would assume that the NHLPA and potential free agents likely wouldn’t be thrilled with a UFA like Ullmark getting kicked to the curb in such a manner. And considering that Ullmark has the leverage with that contract clause, it sure seems unlikely that a guy who just bought a house in suburban Boston would willingly pack things up just a few months into a four-year deal.
As complicated as it might, it’s not entirely out of the question that the Bruins rely on all three netminders over a hectic sprint to the end of the regular season — especially given the pure quantity of games on the docket.
Add in the potential for Rask needing time to ease back into his regular workload and Ullmark’s injury history during his tenure in Buffalo — and it’s safe to assume that even if Swayman earns a stint or two down in Providence, it doesn’t mean he’ll be banished to the farm for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign.
Is the Bruins’ ceiling elevated a bit with a healthy Rask in the fold? I think so, even if goaltending isn’t necessarily the Achilles’ Heel of this club.
But is there a clean, no-brainer solution when it comes to reshuffling this goalie rotation while satisfying all parties? Right now, it sure doesn’t seem like it.
“I think if you ask any goalie, one net for three goalies at some point becomes a challenge,” Cassidy said. “But we’ll do whatever we have to do to get everyone in the right spot. At the end of the day, I’ll say this about any position: You never want a young player that’s still building his game to sit out too long, whether he’s a goalie, D or forward.
"So we have to manage that if it does become Swayman. “But by the same token, if he’s giving us the best chance to win, then we have to factor it in that he needs his share of starts. So yes, you could see that, absolutely. … At the end of the day, hopefully we’ll have three pretty good goaltenders to choose from, so that’s a good problem to have.”
