Kalman: Midway Through Florida Trip Thoughts
By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Just as we all predicted, the Bruins are going to return from their three-game road trip with a winning record since losing to the Wild and Rangers by a combined score of 10-2, regardless of what happens against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
The Bruins have won the last two games against Detroit on Saturday and Florida on Tuesday, mostly on the shoulders of returning superhuman goaltender Tuukka Rask, who went from having general soreness to being Captain Fantastic in a matter of days – basically salvaging the Bruins' season.
With the Bruins having a game-free day in Florida before their showdown with the Lightning, here are a few thoughts:
Trading Rask still not a wise move
This notion has come up in the aftermath of Rask making 57 saves on 58 shots in the wins against the Red Wings and Panthers. And for the first time since Rask joined the Bruins, the concept of trading Rask isn't completely ridiculous based on where the Bruins are in terms of their attempt to be a championship team again and Rask's perceived value.
But any talk about trading Rask has to start with the disclaimer that there is no way Bruins ownership or president Cam Neely will ever tolerate a total teardown of the Bruins and if the Bruins traded Rask the only thing they could then do is tear down to just the nuts, bolts and healthy wraps at TD Garden. For the most part, the Bruins are right to avoid this strategy for franchise-building, considering the way Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg and others are still trying to recover from their teardowns despite high draft picks and salary cap space.
Regardless of what you think of Rask's ability to prevail in "big" games, you can't deny that he's an elite goaltender. His .932 5-on-5 save percentage is tied with Chicago's Corey Crawford and trails only Montreal's Carey Price among full-time goaltenders since 2013-14. And Rask's $7 million contract is fair market value for a goaltender with his track record. Sure, Montreal is paying Price a little less this year and next, but what will the Canadiens have to do to keep Price when he becomes a free agent in 2018? The Bruins don't have to worry about that because Rask is signed through 2020-21.
After this season, Rask's no-trade clause is modified so that he can pick teams he's willing to go to. If things go horribly wrong for the Bruins – which should be judged on development of young players, not wins and losses – then they can consider a plan to trade Rask. But when a team has a No. 1 goaltender, it's always wise to keep him. Just ask Philadelphia, Winnipeg (both iterations of the Jets) and other organizations that have been on an Indiana Jones quest for a Rask-like goaltender for years or even decades.
A goaltender like Rask can win you games, as we saw Tuesday in Florida, and also can serve as a great tool in helping young players develop by limiting the damage done by mistakes. At $7 million, Rask is worth the money because of his performance and the peace of mind he gives the Bruins.
Line shuffling with David Pastrnak coming back
Ryan Spooner, David Krejci and Austin Czarnik showed some chemistry Tuesday. But it's still time to break that trio up now that Pastrnak is coming back from his two-game suspension.
The smart move here is to put Pastrnak back with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, shift Danton Heinen to Krejci's left and move Spooner to his natural center position on the third line. Matt Beleskey would keep his spot on the left side of that line and then coach Claude Julien would have to decide between Riley Nash and Jimmy Hayes for a right wing.
Nash has the ability to help Spooner with faceoffs and kill penalties. Hayes is point-less in nine games. Without David Backes, Hayes is the only big body available to screen the goaltender on the power play, but the Bruins are 0-for-12 with the man advantage in their past four games. They can go goal-less without Hayes. But it appears Hayes has received a reprieve because Heinen was sent to Providence on Wednesday.
But the move here, both to benefit the team and send a message that general manager Don Sweeney's words about the best players always playing are true, is to sit Hayes soon and bring up someone else to fill that third-line role. The only reason to keep Hayes in the lineup is to try to save face from the Reilly Smith trade. Bad news, Bruins: you got ripped off in the Hayes-Smith trade, so get over it.
A new fourth line to love
It's always easy to criticize Sweeney – and he should never be forgiven for the Zac Rinaldo trade – but one place the GM definitely gets credit is the Bruins' fourth line. They might not talk as much as Shawn Thornton, but this trio has a chance to finally end the Bruins' yearning for the days of Merlot. Tim Schaller (who was an under-the-radar July 1 signing), Dominic Moore (who didn't sign until Aug. 30) and Noel Acciari (signed as a college free agent in June 2015) have already emerged as a line Julien doesn't want to break up.
They epitomize the type of hard work teams expect from a fourth line and they've been rewarded with four goals. Many nights the fourth line has been the second-best Bruins line, which isn't something to brag about. But again the Bruins have peace of mind knowing that there's a line that's always going to battle and could spark the team on an off night. Sweeney might still be lost in the woods in search of a top-four defenseman, but he's found the right fourth-liners to help keep the Bruins competitive.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @MattKalman.