The Boston Bruins will press on without Tuukka Rask.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney discussed the team’s goaltending plans Thursday in the aftermath of the longtime goalie’s retirement announcement. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have started all but four of Boston’s games in 2020-21, and Rask’s brief comeback ultimately didn’t change their status as chief competitors for the role of long-term starter.
“I do believe we set out a plan in the offseason that we had to address as it plays out right now,” Sweeney said at a press conference, per the Bruins’ website. “People thought we had some crystal ball going on with regards to Tuukka. … Tuukka made a promise to us that he would have surgery and try to rehab and get to a point (he could play) — and we made a promise to him that if he was willing to do that, he’d have an opportunity if he was healthy. That’s how it played out.
“(Rask’s comeback) Didn’t take away from our plans to have what we feel is really good goaltending. Jeremy was part of that. We pivoted a little bit in terms of where his development was. It didn’t hurt him in that sense. He needs to play.”
Whether Ullmark or Swayman ultimately wins the open competition won’t change the Bruins’ approach to the goaltender position. Boston will retain two starting-quality goalies, who are capable of shouldering the workload together during the regular season so that both will be fresh in the postseason.
“We’ve made a commitment organizationally over the last five, six years of really spreading out the goaltending to have the end result of being capable of being healthy — cross your fingers of being healthy — at the right times and trying to get to the playoffs and win,” Sweeney was quoted as saying. “That’s not gonna change. We’ll find the balance between the two players. Generally, you get a goaltender that’s leading, but if they’re tied, you rotate and go back and forth.
“Generally, you do get a goaltender that emerges and is capable of taking the net for a period of time. Linus has won an awful lot of hockey games in the month of January, so you hope that continues.”
ESPN named Ullmark and Swayman as the leading candidates to enjoy a breakout second half of the season. If that happens for one — or even both — of them, Boston might enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs from a position of goaltending strength — as was always the plan.
