To say Dougie Hamilton’s departure from Boston earlier this summer was a shocker would be an understatement.
When new Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney traded the promising 22-year-old defenseman to the Calgary Flames, the public’s initial reaction ranged from angry to terrified. But six weeks removed from the blockbuster deal, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask certainly doesn’t fall under either category.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to worry (about Boston’s defense),” Rask told WEEI.com’s DJ Bean at former Bruin Shawn Thornton’s Putts and Punches for Parkinson’s golf tournament Monday. “I haven’t been worried.”
For all the retooling Sweeney did with the team’s roster this summer, the B’s haven’t made too many changes on defense — their only additions were likely third-line D-man Matt Irwin and prospect Colin Miller.
Rask — not one to shy away from sharing his opinions — very easily could have voiced displeasure about losing a guy like Hamilton and not finding a legitimate replacement. That he didn’t is a testament to his faith in the Boston blue liners.
Let’s take a look at some other Bruins notes.
— Rask also mentioned he was surprised to learn Hamilton reportedly was uncomfortable in Boston, though he admitted he doesn’t know “the truth” about what happened.
“Obviously I was surprised,” Rask added. “I think everybody was surprised, but there’s always the truth somewhere. I haven’t heard what happened, but if he felt like he had to move on, he had to move on.
“I thought he felt comfortable with everybody, but what you feel deep inside is a different thing and he felt like he needed to move on.”
Thornton, meanwhile, couldn’t grasp why anyone would want to leave Boston.
“Listen, I’m a little surprised,” Thornton told WEEI.com. “I loved Boston, obviously, and for someone to want to get out of it, I don’t get it, especially in the first few years. But it’s his world. He had decisions to make and that’s the one he made. Hey, hopefully he’s happy in Calgary.”
Still, it sounds like there’s no hard feelings in the Boston locker room.
— It’s no secret the Bruins didn’t appear to trust backup goalie Niklas Svedberg last season. One needs look no further than Rask’s games played to make that assessment.
Rask’s 70 games played in 2014-15 tied a franchise record and were third-highest in the league among goalies. Despite no clear-cut backup heading into training camp next month, Rask didn’t sound overly concerned.
“I’m sure things are going to sort out,” he told WEEI. “There’s good young guys wanting to battle for a spot on the roster. Whatever, whoever it’s going to be I’m sure is going to be very capable of playing games. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m sure there’s no reason to worry.”
Malcolm Subban, Jeremy Smith and Zane McIntyre have combined for a whopping one career game in the NHL, so Rask could be in for another heavy workload.
His comments seemed to imply he would like a bit more rest and a solid backup to rely on, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed.
“Obviously it’s mentally draining when you’re battling for that playoff spot and you play a lot of games in a row and stuff like that,” he said, “but you always feel kind of exhausted afterwards. Then when you do nothing for a week or two, you’re kind of like, ‘OK, let’s play hockey again.
“I don’t think you can put a number on (how many games you’d like to play), but a lot of things depend on how tight the games are and how many games you play in a row and stuff like that,” he said. “Last year, it happened to be 70. If it’s going to be like that, it’s going to be like that again.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
