In August of 2020, before a family emergency required his exit from the Toronto bubble, Tuukka Rask took the net against Carolina in Round 1. In one of the games, Rask made a reactionary save. He felt a pop in his hip.
“It wasn’t something that felt awful,” Rask said. “Something definitely happened.”
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That stretched-out save, layered with a lifetime of dropping in and out of the butterfly position, caused a labrum tear in his hip. Rask will undergo surgery within the month. Team doctors estimate he will not be able to play until January or February of 2022.
Rask’s pending procedure complicates the Bruins’ future in net. Regardless of Rask’s future in Boston, the team will need to sign or acquire an experienced goalie to partner with Jeremy Swayman in 2021-22.
The Bruins also have to decide whether Rask, 34, is worth a short-term extension following major hip surgery. His eight-year, $56 million contract is expiring. Rask will either continue to play with the Bruins or retire.
“I’m not going to play for anybody else than the Bruins,” said Rask, who has three daughters with his wife, Jasmiina. “This is our home. We have three kids. The kids enjoy it here. They have friends in school. We have friends. At this point of my life and career, I don’t see any reason to go anywhere else. Especially with the health I’m looking at now, a recovery time of five or six months. Hopefully, it works out that I recover well and we can talk about contracts when the time’s right for that.”
Treatment and workload helped pace Rask through the first half of the regular season. But he compensated for his labrum tear while playing. It was probably why, on March 7 against New Jersey, Rask’s back seized up. He missed the next six games.
“I could barely walk for a week over there,” said Rask.
He returned on March 25 against the Islanders. He lasted just one period. Rask did not play again until April 15.
Rask recorded a .913 save percentage in 24 regular-season games. During the first round against Washington, he had a .941 save percentage in five games. In Round 2, his save percentage crashed to .897 over six starts.
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“The hip itself was never the issue. It just locks up on me every once in a while,” Rask said. “That’s why you’d see me kind of limping out there. Obviously, it’s not easy to play with a labral tear as you’re a goalie. But our training staff did a great job maintaining it and keeping me out there.”
During the regular season, Rask’s upper limit was three straight appearances. He did this twice.
The postseason schedule did Rask no favors. He made 11 consecutive starts over a 27-day span. He was most labored in Games 4 and 5 in the second round.
“It was hard,” Rask said of the playoffs. “Because I had it all year. We got to manage my workload really well during the season so you don’t have to play a lot of games in a row. In the playoffs, you play every other night. So it’s hard. But it never got to a point where I couldn’t play.”
Rask leads the organization with 560 career regular-season games and 306 wins. He is the Bruins’ all-time leader with 104 career playoff games and 57 wins.
He has a .922 career save percentage, highest among active goalies with 50 or more appearances. Rask’s .925 postseason save percentage is fourth highest among active goalies after Mike Smith, Craig Anderson and Braden Holtby.
Whether Rask can add to those accomplishments is unknown. He acknowledged the severity of the procedure that awaits and the uncertainty of the repairs he’ll undergo.
Tim Thomas, Rask’s former partner, required surgery for a labral tear in his hip following the 2009-10 season. He backstopped the Bruins to the Stanley Cup a year later, winning the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophies while doing so. Thomas was 36 when he underwent surgery.
“First and foremost, I’m trying to get this hip fixed and start the recovery. We’ll see how I feel after,” Rask said when asked how much longer he wanted to play. “You never know how it goes. You never know what they find when they open the hip. Maybe it’s worse than expected. I don’t know. It’s tough to give you an answer now. Because if everything goes well, I start feeling great, I come back and play and feel awesome, then who knows how long I’m going to play? It could also go the other way. Maybe I don’t recover that well. Maybe I just can’t play anymore. Who knows?”
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Ten regular-season starts and a .945 save percentage signal that Swayman is ready to start 2021-22 in the NHL. But he will need a veteran partner. Dan Vladar, who turns 24 in August, has five career NHL appearances. A Swayman-Vladar rotation would leave the Bruins without a safety net in case of injuries or underperformance. The Bruins used four goalies in 2020-21 because of Rask’s injuries and Jaroslav Halak’s COVID-19 diagnosis.
Halak is on an expiring contract. The 36-year-old Halak is unlikely to be re-signed.
Chris Driedger, Philipp Grubauer and Jonathan Bernier are among goalies entering unrestricted free agency. The Bruins could also explore a trade. Columbus could make Joonas Korpisalo or Elvis Merzlikins available.
Depending on Rask’s early post-surgery recovery, the Bruins could re-sign the goalie prior to the start of next season. If they signed him during the season, he would have to clear waivers before being added to the roster.
If Swayman is the opening-night starter, he will lean on what he learned from Rask during the playoff run.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Swayman said. “He’s a world-class goalie, world-class person. So it’s awesome to learn from him. He battled. I think everyone knows it. His compete level is unmatched. He brings the fire every day, especially when it’s playoff atmosphere. So it was awesome to see that in some of the games he stole, especially in Washington. It was pretty phenomenal to watch. I learned so much just from watching what he does and seeing how he takes care of his body. Really special experience, and I’m super happy about that.”
Notes
• David Krejci is also unrestricted. He will think about his future for the next few weeks.
“I love Boston. This is my home,” said Krejci, who has a daughter and son with his wife, Naomi. “I just don’t see myself playing anywhere else. But at the same time, we’ll see what happens.”
Krejci found traction on the second line with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith. They were a powerful rush unit following Hall’s arrival from Buffalo. Only Smith is under contract for next year.
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“I love playing with those guys. I love hanging out with those guys,” said Krejci, who became close with Hall. “I had lots of fun the last couple months for sure.”
• Hall will remain in Boston with his girlfriend for the next few weeks before returning to his offseason home in Toronto. He hopes Boston could become a permanent residence.
“I’m not looking to absolutely maximize my value at this point in my career,” said Hall, who is coming off a one-year, $8 million deal with Buffalo. “I’ve been fortunate enough to make some good money in this league. At this point, it’s about more of a fit for me than maybe money or a long-term thing. I want to find a home for the next few years here. We’ll see what happens.”
• Mike Reilly has had talks with the Bruins about an extension. His two-year, $3 million contract, according to CapFriendly, is expiring. Reilly turns 28 on July 13. He was a very good fit as a left-shot puck-mover on the No. 2 pairing.
“I think it’s mutual right now between us to try and get something done,” Reilly said. “I definitely want to stay here for sure.”
• Kevan Miller was likely to be available for Game 7. He was recovering from a concussion following Dmitry Orlov’s Round 1 hit to his chin.
Miller’s future is unknown. He is unrestricted. The 33-year-old said he will discuss his plans with his family.
• Brandon Carlo would not have been available for Game 7. He reported on-ice dizziness following a skate prior to Game 5. He said he is feeling fine off the ice.
Carlo was injured following a clean hit from Cal Clutterbuck in Game 3.
“Great hit,” Carlo said. “I had no issues with it whatsoever. He went right through my chest. I can respect that any day of the week.”
Carlo is coming off two concussions within three months. He will be a restricted free agent.
• Sean Kuraly has not had any contract talks with the Bruins. His contract is expiring. The native of Dublin, Ohio, could be pursued by his hometown Blue Jackets.
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• Curtis Lazar missed Game 6 because of a sprained MCL and bruised ACL in his left knee. Lazar will not require surgery.
• Jeremy Lauzon required surgery on his right hand after blocking a shot against Washington. He played with a splint for the rest of the run.
• Connor Clifton acknowledged he will probably be unprotected in the expansion draft. He is signed through 2023 at $1 million annually.
“I love being a Bruin,” Clifton said. “I hope it remains as such.”
(Top photo: Jim Davis / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
