It was a little shocking that it was a different Bruins goalie atop the league leaderboard though.
Tim Thomas went from winning the Vezina Trophy to backup status in a single season. It wasn’t a matter of his play slipping that badly, but rather a reflection of just how good Tuukka Rask was as a rookie.
Thomas was the focus of plenty of trade rumors throughout the summer, but no deal was consummated and both netminders return to the Bruins crease this season.
Will Rask continue his ascendency to stardom in his sophomore season, or will Thomas reclaim his starting spot if the youngster stumbles? Whether it’s Rask or Thomas in goal on any particular night, the Bruins appear to have one of strongest tandems in the league heading into the 2010-11 season.
Who’s Back: After being groomed for two seasons in Providence, it took just a few months in the NHL for Tuukka Rask to supplant the reigning Vezina winner and take over as the Bruins’ No. 1 netminder. Rask was phenomenal throughout the season, going 22-12-5 with a league-best 1.97 GAA and .931 save percentage. After outdueling this year’s Vezina winner Ryan Miller in the opening round, Rask did appear to wear down a bit in the Philadelphia series. Having Tim Thomas around again this year could help keep Rask fresh for the postseason. Thomas wasn’t able to repeat his league-leading numbers of the previous season when he posted a 2.10 GAA and a .933 save percentage, but he was still solid in 2009-10 at 2.58 and .915. He did struggle at times, especially late in the season, and some of that may have been caused by a hip injury that required offseason surgery. But Thomas’ “demise” had less to do with his own play than simply with how well Rask performed.
Who’s Gone: Providence will have a new look in goal with starter Dany Sabourin and backup Kevin Regan both leaving the organization. Sabourin, who was 28-27-0 with a 2.67 GAA and a .915 save percentage, signed a two-way deal with Washington. He was recalled twice by Boston and dressed as a backup, but never appeared in a game with the big club last year. He’s expected to be in the AHL again this year with the Capitals’ affiliate in Hershey. South Boston, Mass. native Regan was 8-11-0 with a 2.54 GAA and a .915 save percentage, but was not tendered a contract by the Bruins after the season and remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent.
Who’s New: Replacing Sabourin in Providence will be Nolan Schaefer, who returns to North America after playing in the KHL last year, going 6-10-1 with a 2.66 GAA and an .895 save percentage with CSKA. The former Providence College star is the brother of ex-Bruin Peter Schaefer. Nolan Schaefer does have some NHL experience himself, going 5-1-0 with a 1.88 GAA and a .920 save percentage with San Jose back in 2005-06.
In the System: Matt Dalton played six games in Providence, but went 0-4-1 with a 3.26 GAA. He spent most of the year in Reading (ECHL), where he was 22-20-4 with a 3.47 GAA and will be looking to move up to the AHL full-time this year. Adam Courchaine, who was 20-24-2 with a 3.24 GAA and a .906 save percentage with Sarnia and Erie in the OHL last year, and Michael Hutchinson, a third-round pick in 2008 who was 32-12-2 with a 2.86 GAA and a .904 save percentage with London (OHL) will challenge for that spot. Further down the pipeline is Zane Gothberg, a sixth-round pick this June. He hasn’t played above high school (18-8-1, 1.84 GAA for Thief River Falls in Minnesota), but he impressed at Development Camp. He’ll have plenty of time to hone his skills, as he’s scheduled to play in the USHL this season, then attend the University of North Dakota next year.
Roster Prediction: This one’s pretty simple. Rask and Thomas will be the tandem in Boston once again. This time around Rask enters the season as the starter, but Thomas will certainly look to push him for playing time and that competition could bring out the best in both of them. The situation in Providence is less clear. Schaefer should get the bulk of starts and be the first callup if Thomas or Rask is injured, leaving Dalton, Courchaine and Hutchinson to battle for the backup spot and stay out of the ECHL.
NESN.com will analyze a different position on the Bruins roster every day this week.
Saturday, Sept. 4: Defense
