Unrestricted Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask recently had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. He is expected to be out until January or February. Joe McDonald relayed the information on Twitter today.
Tuukka Rask had surgery a few days ago to repair a torn labrum in his hip. Expected to be out until January or February. Wouldn’t be surprised if Bruins sign Linus Ullmark today. If Rask decides to return, having three solid goalies is a good problem to have for the Bruins
— Joe McDonald (@JoeyMacHockey) July 28, 2021
Boston Bruins Tuukka Rask Out After Surgery
The former Stanley Cup Champion will be watching from the sidelines without a contract until the new year. Although not property of the Boston Bruins as of today, he is expected to sign with the Bruins if he decides to come back.
Tuukka Rask was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. A year later, the Maple Leafs traded him to the Bruins before ever playing a game in the blue and white. Rask signed his entry level contract in 2007. He has been with Boston ever since, spending 12 seasons as a regular in their crease.
Rask’s success as a Bruin has been well-documented. He has the most wins, playoff wins, and games played by a goaltender in Bruins’ history. The Finnish netminder also won the Stanley Cup in 2011, the Vezina in 2014 and the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2020.
Last year, Rask missed intermittent time throughout the season due to an upper-body injury. However, was still able to perform well when he was in the net. He posted a save percentage of .913 and a goals-against-average of 2.28 to go along with a 15-5-2 record. Rask started all 11 games the Bruins had in the playoffs before ultimately falling to the New York Islanders in Game 6.
What This Means Going Forward
Thanks to the various instances where Rask was injured, the Bruins were able to get a good look at young goaltenders Daniel Vladar (five games played) and Jeremy Swayman (10 games played) despite having a very capable goaltender in Jaroslav Halak (19 games played).
With Halak signing in Vancouver and both Vladar and Swayman under team control, it looks as though the Bruins could begin the year with a young goaltending tandem and hope that they are able to shoulder the load should Rask return to the organization in the new year.
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