After just four games, Tuukka Rask’s attempted comeback might be coming to an end — and the Bruins’ all-time winningest goalie is reportedly pondering retirement.
In a report from The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, the Bruins are not expecting Rask to continue on this season after lingering effects from his offseason hip surgery have continued to plague him.
Rask has not played since Jan. 24 against Anaheim, with a flare-up in wake of his procedure keeping him on the shelf over the past two weeks.
"That'll be his call, obviously,” Bruce Cassidy said on Monday when asked if Rask will look to carry on with his attempted comeback. “He's the one kind of fighting through some ... I don't know if it's medical issues, I guess ... or some body issues for his age with the comeback, so we'll see how it turns out.”
Shinzawa added that Rask is reportedly discussing his future with his family – and he could finalize his retirement in the next few days.
While the Bruins expected some rust for Rask as he looked to get back into game shape in January, it’s clear that Rask did not feel nearly as good as both he and the team expected after his offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum.
In his four games back in Boston’s net, Rask went 2-2-0 with an .844 save percentage.
If this is indeed the end for Rask, the 34-year-old netminder will wrap up his 15-year NHL career (all with Boston) with 308 wins and a .921 save percentage over 564 career outings.
When the Bruins mapped out a plan for Rask to return this season, the expectation was that a healthy Rask would be able to elevate the ceiling of a Bruins team looking for at least one more run with fellow franchise cornerstones like Patrice Bergeron in place.
Now, the Bruins are set to hand the keys to their net to the duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman — and hope that the tandem are ready to step into the sizable void left by Rask’s reported exit.