After practicing with the Bruins at Warrior Ice Arena for more than a month, Tuukka Rask is set to take a major leap forward in his return to the NHL ranks.
The 34-year-old netminder signed a professional tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins on Thursday morning — with Rask expected to start in net for the Providence Bruins on Friday as the team takes on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center at 7:05 pm.
With the Bruins set to head out on the road for a pair of games against Tampa Bay and Washinton on Saturday and next Monday — Rask shaking off the rust against AHL competition has been in the works for quite some time.
So long as no issues arise with Rask and his surgically repaired hip during his work down with the Baby B’s, the franchise’s all-time winningest goalie will then likely sign a new contract with Boston for the second-half stretch in 2022.
While Bruce Cassidy has yet to tip his hand when it comes to Boston’s plan in net once Rask signs with the big club — the most likely scenario remains that Rask and Linus Ullmark share the net for a majority of the reps moving forward, while Jeremy Swayman earns No. 1 minutes down in Providence.
However, given how absolutely frantic these next few months of the season will be in terms of workload, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the B’s need to rely on all three netminders to get past a slate of 53 games through the end of April.
Rask, who has looked sharp during reps at Warrior Ice Arena over the last few weeks, posted a 15-5-2 record, a 2.28 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage for the Bruins last season.
"I’ve watched him for years, so I’m stating the obvious: He’s an excellent goaltender," Cassidy said. "Technically sound. Not a lot of wasted movement for Tuukka. It’s been his strength since he came into the league as a 20-year-old. I think it’s been well documented, if you go back and look at the scouting reports, people have talked about him, how it was his strength. I remember in Providence as a young guy, just in control, that’s been his game from Day 1."
This post will be updated with more information.