The young Bruins netminder came into the year as Boston's incumbent starter in goal, fresh off a breakthrough rookie season in which he led the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage. He ended the year as a spectator, albeit one with a front-row seat to witness history in the form of Tim Thomas' record-breaking season to lead Boston to its first championship in 39 years.
Rask played the good soldier all season long, supporting Thomas every step of the way as the two netminders maintained a genuine friendship despite their competition for playing time. And like the rest of the hockey world, Rask couldn't help but marvel at the performance Thomas put together en route to winning the Vezina, Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup.
"It's still tough to believe what happened," Rask said at the club's breakup day last month. "He had such a great year. Day in and day out, he was that great goalie there. He didn't let in too many weak goals, even throughout the year. It was great to see and I'm happy for the guy."
The Bruins coaches and players, in turn, went out of their way to praise Rask's professionalism and work in practice, doing their best to make sure he remained an integral part of the team. At one point in the postseason, it became almost a running joke as every question about Thomas' stellar play was met with a comment about how good Rask is as well.
"We know what he is capable of doing, so that's why everybody keeps talking about Tuukka as well," coach Claude Julien said during the Bruins' run to the Cup. "We're a team, and he's part of our hockey team, and maybe mentioning him is letting everybody know he's not a forgotten man."
But as sincere as Rask was in his appreciation for Thomas' historic performance, no one as competitive as Rask could be completely happy with being relegated to backup status. Rask played just 29 games in the regular season and did not make an appearance in the playoffs, as Thomas regained his hold on the starting job early in the season and never relinquished it.
Rask struggled at times, especially early on in the season. His overall numbers — 11-14-2, 2.67 GAA, .918 save percentage — weren't bad, but they were a far cry from the stats he posted the previous year when he finished 22-12-5 with a 1.97 GAA and a .931 save percentage.
Still, they were better than a lot of No. 1 goalies in the league, with his save percentage ranking 14th in the NHL, ahead of the likes of Ryan Miller (.916), Dwayne Roloson (.914), Jimmy Howard (.908) and Martin Brodeur (.903), among others. They just couldn't match Thomas, who led the NHL with a 2.00 GAA and set a record with a .938 save percentage, then bettered both numbers in the playoffs with a 1.98 GAA and a .940 save percentage.
Through it all, Rask kept an upbeat attitude, remained a loyal teammate and did his best to push Thomas for playing time and keep the rest of the squad sharp in practice. Rather than pouting, he took the unexpected step back into a reserve role as a learning experience.
"It's definitely a new experience when you're not playing and kind of watching the games," Rask said. "It's a mental growing point in your career for sure. You learn from these kind of things and I think it helped me for the future."
Rask showed remarkable patience throughout the season, but how long will he be willing to remain the backup? He's entering the final year of his current deal, though the 24-year-old won't be completely free, as he'll remain a restricted free agent next summer. But the Bruins have Thomas, 37, under contract for two more years at a $5 million annual cap hit. Can they afford to pay both Thomas and Rask as No. 1's if indeed the succession plan is to hand the reins over to Rask at that point?
Offer sheets have been a rarity in the NHL, but Rask could provide the perfect opportunity for another team to swoop in next summer and make it difficult for the Bruins to match with the cap space they've already committed to the position.
The Bruins themselves appear to be hedging their bets a bit, as they also signed No. 3 goalie Anton Khudobin to a two-year deal this summer, with the second season a one-way deal. Boston may be willing to bury that $875,000 commitment to Khudobin in the minors, but it does provide some insurance if re-signing Rask proves difficult.
For his part, Rask isn't necessarily looking to wait another year for a shot at reclaiming the starting spot. Despite the spectacular season Thomas put together, Rask expects an open competition this coming season.
"Of course I want to be the guy," Rask said. "[Thomas] wants to be the guy. Everybody wants to be the guy. It's a fair competition between us every day. We like the way it is and hopefully we can both get playing time and help the team get wins."
NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be answering one question facing the Bruins this offseason each day until Aug. 8.
Wednesday, July 27: Is the Bruins' fourth line the best fourth line in the NHL?
Friday, July 29: What games this season should be circled on the calendar?
