Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask contract suddenly doesn’t look so bad

The Boston Bruins have goaltending as one of their strengths. Tuukka Rask contract might look like an over-payment for some, but it doesn’t look as bad compared with the other goaltenders in the Atlantic Division now.

From all those involved, Rask has certainly been the most successful. The present Tuukka Rask contract was signed in 2013 in the form of an eight-year extension worth $7,000,000 per year. That happened after he led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final, which Boston lost in six games versus the Chicago Blackhawks.

Andrei Vasilevskiy signed an eight-year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. The deal carries an annual salary cap hit of $9,500,000. You simply cannot compare the Tuukka Rask contract situation with the present 24-year-old goaltender whose new deal commences next year.

However, Rask was only 26 years-old when he signed his current eight-year deal. He was coming off the Stanley Cup Final in 2013, as he also backed up Tim Thomas in the Boston Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup victory. In the first year of his new long deal, Rask won the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender. Vasilevskiy just won the Vezina Trophy, but there is a bittersweet taste left in his mouth as he managed to earn zero wins in the playoffs afterwards.

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Nevertheless, the Vezina Trophy was a nice achievement for an amazing goaltender such as Vasilevskiy, who got the upper-hand in a playoff matchup with Tuukka Rask in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Not even looking beyond the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers signed a humongous seven-year deal worth $10,000,000 per campaign with Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky is another top-quality goaltender, who previously won two Vezina Trophies, but he is already a 30 year-old.

Tuukka Rask’s contract concludes in 2021, when he will be 34. Around that time, Boston Bruins fans will probably call for not bringing him back, at least not for $7,000,000 anymore. But, in fact, Bobrovsky as the 34 year-old at that time will still enjoy another $10,000,000 per year for three more seasons.

Goaltenders have very pricey demands for sure and in most cases, they deserve to get paid. Carey Price, who is one year younger than Tuukka Rask has another seven years of his $10,500,000 per campaign deal with the Montreal Canadiens. He has won one Vezina Trophy in his career in 2015, right after Rask won it in 2014.

Tuukka Rask’s contract worth $7,000,000 per year is a huge one undoubtedly. But there are three other number one goalies in the same division as Rask, who earn approximately $10 million per season for still a very extended period of the term.

Another divisional rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, will have to address the future of their number one goaltender Frederik Andersen. His current contract carries a salary cap hit of $5,000,000 per season until 2021.

Seeing what kind of deal the 30 year-old Bobrovsky earned, the 31-year-old Andersen that time will get a raise. In that 2021 off-season, the Boston Bruins will probably go for an extension with the 34-year-old Tuukka Rask. Most possibly that deal won’t reach $7 million per campaign again.

One important thing to keep in mind; Tuukka Rask has Stanley Cup pedigree, as has led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final twice. On the other hand, Bobrovsky, Vasilevskiy or Price, who all receive hefty paychecks have never won the Stanley Cup.

Vasilevskiy reached the Cup Final as the backup and also came in for some action in 2015, as the Lightning were struggling with the injuries of Ben Bishop, but never a Cup win, even in a backup role.

In conclusion, a $7 million contract for a goaltender who has won the Stanley Cup, won the Vezina Trophy, led his team to the Stanley Cup Final twice literally standing on his head at times, is not a bad-looking deal for the Boston Bruins at all.