Bruce Cassidy is not looking in the rearview mirror.
The Boston Bruins head coach spoke to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin on Wednesday regarding next season and Tuukka Rask. And he said it’s “full-steam ahead” when it comes to next season with the goalie.
Rask left the Toronto bubble in the middle of the Bruins’ first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The goalie has one more year left on his contract, and general manager Don Sweeney has “zero reservations” about Rask’s desire to play in 2020-21.
Comments made earlier in the year by Rask indicating retirement is “always a possibility” caused a lot of chatter about whether the 2020 Vezina Trophy finalist even would want to return to the ice.
But Cassidy thinks Rask is excited to get back between the pipes.
“I think everything that happened in the bubble has been addressed, dealt with,” Cassidy told Benjamin. “We’re moving on, getting ready to win next year. That includes our goaltender.
“I think Tuukka, he can speak for himself, but I think he just wants to get back in the net and play hockey and play well and give us a chance to win,” Cassidy added. “Probably nobody more excited on our team to (be) getting back in there. I would assume that Tuukka would sort of say, ‘Hey, I’m still the goalie I was last year and I’m ready to go. Family’s good, I’m good. Everyone’s in a good place. Let’s play hockey.'”
There’s still no official start date for the 2020-21 season. But once it does begin, Bruins fans likely can count on Rask to lead his team out of the locker room and onto the ice.
