Tuukka Rask is back with the Bruins on a one-year, $1 million deal. Will it end up being his final year?
Meeting with the media via Zoom Wednesday morning, Rask said he isn’t committing to anything beyond this season either way. That said, he is well aware that he and fellow veterans Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand aren’t going to have too many more kicks at the can.
It’s the chance to make another run with those guys that was the primary motivation for Rask to undergo hip surgery, go through six months of rehab, and return on a team-friendly deal.
“I think the biggest motivation is just to play with the group I played with my whole career and have another chance to win. That’s about it,” Rask said.
Rask was asked about the “window” for the veteran core -- a core that previously included Zdeno Chara and David Krejci as well -- and whether that’s something they ever discuss.
“Not a whole lot. We’ve touched on that from time to time,” Rask said. “We’re realistic that we’re getting older and the window is closing, whether that’s a year, two, three years, who knows. But it’s closing, and we know that. But we haven’t talked about specific dates or nothing.”
Rask said he also gave Bergeron some advice to keep his body fresh.
“I told Bergy a couple weeks ago that he should do what I did and wait until half the season and sign next year,” he said. “Take some time off. He’s played a lot of hockey.”
The past few seasons have not had happy endings for Rask and the Bruins. In 2019, they lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on home ice. In 2020, Rask left the playoff “bubble” to deal with a family emergency involving his daughter and the Bruins lost in the second round. Last year, Rask’s hip injury had him playing at much less than 100 percent in the playoffs and the Bruins again lost in the second round.
So, does this year’s team have a chance to get over the hump? Few would have thought so a month ago, but the Bruins’ 5-1-0 record since the COVID pause and back-to-back road wins over the Lightning and Capitals might be starting to change some minds.
Rask was asked what he thinks Boston’s chances are.
“I think it’s as good as anybody else,” Rask said. “The core group is still there. I think the past few games, the team’s showed that they can play some real solid hockey against some good teams. It’s a long season, so there’s still plenty of games left. I think as long as we keep building in the right direction, like we always say, it’s all about making the playoffs and then anything can happen. Looking forward to that.”
Related
