Report: Bruins 'Not Opposed' To Extending Tuukka Rask's Contract During This Season
BOSTON (CBS) -- Things are going fairly well for the Boston Bruins in 2021. Looking ahead, though, the team has some serious business to consider.
Namely, the team needs to figure out how it will fill its goaltending needs beyond this season.
Both starter Tuukka Rask and backup Jaroslav Halak have contracts the expire at the end of the season. The Bruins could either enter the offseason with a big unknown, or try to secure one of their known commodities during this season.
According to Bob McKenzie, the latter option could take place. Though it doesn't sound like there's a ton of urgency for it.
"They're both on expiring contracts," McKenzie said during intermission of Wednesday night's Bruins-Capitals game. "So could there be contract talks in-season to get something done? I think the short answer to that is yes, the Bruins are not opposed to bringing back one or both of these guys and doing in-season contracts, if they get the sense from the goaltenders that's what they want to do."
The underlying message from McKenzie seemed to be that the Bruins were putting the ball in the court of Rask and Halak to initiate discussions. McKenzie then went ahead and explicitly said exactly that.
"Rask is really the key here. How much longer does he want to play? And I think the Bruins are waiting for some sort of indication from him on how he'd like to proceed. But the Bruins, by all means, are open to having one or both of these guys back," McKenzie said. "All things considered, the veteran goaltender Rask and veteran Halak may be getting contracts before the end of the season if that's the way they want to go."
Rask, who will turn 34 next week, has spent his entire NHL career with the Bruins after being traded from the Toronto organization to Boston back in 2006. A Vezina winner and two-time All-Star, Rask currently has a .902 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average, both of which are far off his career numbers of .921 and 2.27.
Halak, 35, has a .903 save percentage and 2.42 GAA in his third season with the Bruins.
During the offseason, Rask said that he does want to play beyond this season and that he hopes it will be with the Bruins.
"I've been here for a long time and the organization's been so great for me," Rask told the Boston Herald. "We've built our home in Boston and we call this home. So, yeah, I don't want to play for anybody else."
