Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and he’s going to be a very rich man because of it.
The B’s announced Wednesday afternoon that Rask has signed an eight-year contract extension for $56 million. The deal will keep him under contract through the 2020-21 season. He’ll turn 27 in the middle of the 2013-14 season.
Rask signed a one-year deal prior to the 2013 season, and he was worth every penny of that $3.5 million deal. The Boston goalie was one of the best in the league finishing fifth in Vezina Trophy voting after going 19-10-5 in the lockout-shortened regular season with a 2.00 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. He then led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final with a sensational playoff run with a league-leading .940 save percentage and only Corey Crawford’s 1.84 goals against average was better than Rask’s 1.86. The goalie also posted his first three career postseason shutouts.
Rask’s salary, according to CapGeek.com, puts the Bruins over the 2013-14 cap of $64.3 million. The B’s could still make a move to shed money, but they could also place injured center Marc Savard on long-term injury reserved. If they were to do so, the Bruins wouldn’t have to absorb Savard’s $4 million cap hit this season.
The $7 million per season salary cap hit is tied for the highest in the NHL with Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne.
