Tuukka Rask still doesn’t have a contract for this season, but he has now practiced with the Bruins several times. Twice he served as the emergency backup goalie when Linus Ullmark was unavailable, but he also took part in a morning skate when Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman were both present.
All signs point towards an eventual Rask return, although Bruins president Cam Neely said on Wednesday that the two sides haven’t talked contract yet, with Rask’s work interrupted by the Bruins’ COVID situation and the league-wide pause.
While everyone is saying the right things (Swayman recently said it’s “great to see him around”), it’s fair to wonder if Rask’s increased presence around the team creates any awkwardness, especially as it relates to Ullmark and Swayman.
Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Thursday, former Bruin and longtime NHL analyst Mike Milbury said he is not a fan of Rask practicing with the team when he isn’t technically on the team.
“I don’t like it at all,” Milbury said. “I don’t know Tuukka very well, but he seems to be a really nice guy. He seems to want to come back here. But if I’m Swayman or Ullmark, I’m not really thrilled about having him look over my shoulder. I don’t know that we saw it coming. At least I didn’t see it coming when the season started. You go out and spend a lot of money on a goaltender [Ullmark]. You expect that he’s going to be your number one, or certainly your number one until Swayman develops into a number one.
“It looks like you’ve gone past Tuukka Rask, but all of a sudden he gets a little healthy, they’re not playing very well, and it’s, ‘Oh, Tuukka’s going to make a big difference.’ I don’t know if it’s going to make a big difference. I don’t know if it’s going to turn this team around. Their goaltending has been average, I guess. … To be honest with you, I don’t think goaltending is the most pressing need, but it looks like they’re going in that direction. All signs point to Tuukka Rask somehow fitting in back with the Bruins, but it has to be terribly uncomfortable for those guys who are now minding net.”
Listen to the full interview with Milbury below:
