The conversation about Tuukka Rask isn’t going away.
This week, he appeared on WEEI for an interview and fueled speculation that the franchise’s all-time wins leader in both regular season and playoffs will eventually be back manning the crease for the Boston Bruins.
"For me, it's about that pride of playing for one team and one team only,” he told Greg Hill. “I have no reason to chase the money anymore and go somewhere else. It's going to be one of those things where the Bruins are my home, Boston is my home. I've always wanted to play here, wanted to stay here. So the money won't be an issue. We had a conversation with [Bruins general manager Don Sweeney] and I will be a cheap goalie for them."
How ‘cheap’ is anyone’s guess, but at age 34 and recovering from offseason hip surgery, his window of availability is still months away. While Rask set a timetable of late Dec./Jan. for being able to return to action, the reality is that given the nature of the position and the physical strain that playing the butterfly style put on the player’s hips, that early of return seems overly optimistic.
Eventually, Rask will be ready to make a return to the NHL if that’s what he desires. Given his most recent statements, it appears that Boston is the only option he will consider. That begs several questions. For starters, how much would it take to get him under the cap? If the team does eventually find itself in the position to bring him back, what does that mean for the current duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman?
Here is the background on the Ullmark decision and some thoughts on where Rask could fit into the picture down the road.
Why sign Ullmark?
As of today, Rask speculation is largely moot. He had the surgical procedure about 30 days ago, and while his rehabilitation appears to be progressing on schedule, he is still months away from being cleared to return to action.That opened the door for the team to sign Ullmark.
Now, the obvious question there is, why would Boston commit to four years to Ullmark, the first two of which include a full NMC, followed by two years of limited/modified no-trade conditions? The answer to that question lies with the importance of the goaltending position and making sure that the Bruins are covered for any possible contingency. Had Rask been fully healthy, the indication is that the B’s would have been comfortable moving ahead with him and Dan Vladar, allowing the waiver-exempt Swayman to go back to the AHL for more seasoning, or moving Vladar before the start of the season via trade.
Once Sweeney learned of Rask's timeline, they had to decide on a band-aid approach (gambling on a declining Braden Holtby) or taking bolder action to stabilize the position in both the short and longer terms (Ullmark). Sticking with a Swayman-Vladar tandem from the start of the season until late Dec. or Jan. at a minimum was a non-starter.
To get a player like Ullmark to sign here, they had to commit term and value. He would not have signed a 1- or 2-year deal, but nearly doubling his $2.6 million 2020-21 contract over four years was good business for the player. As for Boston, they got a goaltender who is a proven pro in his prime years while not putting undue pressure on Swayman to come in and have to perform at a top level with just 10 NHL games under his belt.
The certainty of knowing that Rask wouldn’t be able to play until early 2022 and the uncertainty of whether he would be able to return to top form when he came back meant that Sweeney could either be passive in his approach and hopeful (Holtby or another limited ceiling veteran on short money and term) or active and analytical by signing Ullmark. Signing him gave the Bruins a hedge against Rask’s health and resolve to come back if the rehab didn’t go well, while protecting Swayman’s development. Ullmark also gives Boston an immediate all-star caliber netminder, if his upward trajectory of play on the NHL's worst team proves accurate.
That is the right kind of risk to take versus the other available options.
Re-signing Rask when he is healthy
What has changed since late July is that Rask appears on track with his recovery. He’s saying (at least publicly) that he wants to return to Boston and will take a lot less to do so.
What that means for Boston is that as the season progresses, the more time that elapses before the two sides agree to a contract, provides greater flexibility the team has in terms of cap space management. Keep in mind, for Rask to be eligible to appear in the 2022 NHL playoffs, he would have to sign before the NHL trade deadline.
We won’t speculate about what that would cost, because the negotiations aren’t going to take place anytime soon. The team needs to see how their two goaltenders perform once the season starts and go from there.
If Ullmark and Swayman play as expected for Boston, the good news is that the B’s don’t have to do anything. Should the team determine that they are better served with a Rask-Ullmark duo in net, they can negotiate a deal on their terms and send Swayman down to the AHL to make room when the time comes. It’s not ideal for the rookie, but given Rask’s standing within the Bruins organization, this is where the old adage that “hockey is a business” comes in. The team will do what it feels gives them the best chance to win. There is no need to force the issue in Boston for Swayman, unless he makes it impossible to send him down with his play.
One thing is for certain, however: Sweeney won’t be able to make it work on $250k and unlimited Bud Lights.
We have no idea in late Aug. what things will look like by the time Rask is ready to return, but having the option to bring him back is a good problem to have.
Why Derek Forbort will be a value contract for Bruins
The Boston signing of defenseman Derek Forbort to a three-year contract worth $9 million on a $3M AAV is one of the better recent moves Sweeney has made.
At 29, the Duluth, Minn. native has over 300 games of NHL experience and plenty of tread left on the tire. He brings a defense-first mindset, using his 6-foot-4, 220-pound size, mobility and reach for a big man effectively to contain outside speed well. He can match up effectively 1-on-1 in space, and he has the agility and strength to end plays along the walls, one of the key attributes for a good defender.
At the time he was drafted in the first round by Los Angeles 11 years ago (originally with Boston’s pick that was traded to Florida in the Nathan Horton deal, then flipped to the Kings), the general thinking was that Forbort had untapped offensive potential. That scoring dimension never materialized for him, but he has become a good NHL defenseman. As a left-shot who will play on his strong side, he provides badly needed defensive acumen and physicality to go with the other left side ‘D’ in Matt Grzelcyk and Reilly (plus Jakub Zboril). Bringing in another puck mover to play on that side made no sense for Boston.
Instead, they focused on landing an athletic big man who can defend and is tough to play against. This makes Forbort a valuable player for Bruce Cassidy and the Boston coaching staff. He will be a matchup play; on paper, a third-pairing guy but one with the wheels, defensive IQ and jam to move up the lineup to address some of the opposition’s bigger threats up front. Forbort did it to good effect last season against none other than Connor McDavid. Like Brandon Carlo on the right side, the B’s have added a veteran defensive staple to play on the opposite side of the ice. That is just smart team building, and it isn't always about skills or points.
Analytics aren’t Forbort’s friend, and he is an offensive black hole, but when you need an electrician, do you call a plumber? Even the more casual among Boston fans can remember the key role Adam McQuaid played for the team. Forbort may not be as nasty a fighter as No. 54, but he’s more mobile, brings the same kind of defense-first presence and is a good culture guy who will be respected in the room.
As NHL salaries continue to rise, Forbort will become a reliable piece in Boston. His ability to defend and play a lot of minutes means he will earn that contract and should earn the respect of most for his willingness to sacrifice his body to block shots and take hits to make the play. He won’t lead the team in scoring, but the details matter.
Marc Savard takes on head coaching job in OHL
In the last bit of space, we want to salute former Boston Bruin and fan favorite Marc Savard, who was hired as head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires (Taylor Hall’s junior club) this week.
Savard, whose NHL career ended prematurely at age 33 due to multiple concussions in 2011, has faced a lot of challenges over the past decade in recovery. He spent years battling the effects those concussions had on his physical and emotional health, and turned a major corner in 2019-20 when he joined the St. Louis Blues as an assistant coach. Prior to that, he had done coaching work in minor hockey and with Hockey Canada in a limited capacity as he continued his road back to the game he loves.
Now, he will preside over one of the OHL’s most storied franchises and provide the critical mentorship and development so important to aspiring junior players.
The former OHL scoring champion entered pro hockey as a one-dimensional player who was in danger of playing his way out of the NHL, but he learned, adapted and evolved, becoming a top 200-foot player with a pair of consecutive 90-point seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers and Bruins. When his career was cut short, he had played over 800 games and 700 points, and though he didn’t appear in the 2011 playoffs, he is a Stanley Cup champion with the B’s.
He started Project 91 to support concussion research and raise awareness of traumatic brain injuries, and is grateful to be able to remain connected to the game after years of not being able to function in the way many of us take for granted each day.
https://twitter.com/MSavvy91/status/1430497092548677632?s=20
