Can the Bruins Succeed with Two Rookie Goalies?

Both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak have expiring contracts. Rask has expressed openly that he wishes to stay with the Bruins. However, surgery on his torn hip labrum will keep him out until at least January. Halak, on the other hand, lost his backup role this season because of the emergence of Jeremy Swayman. Therefore, it is hard to determine how interested the team would be in bringing him back.

So, out of the two veterans, it seems more likely that the Bruins would re-sign Rask. However, that is still in jeopardy because of how long he will be out. If the Bruins do go down this road, though, it will likely leave them with a goalie tandem of Swayman and Daniel Vladar for a significant portion of the season.

The prospect of having two rookie goalies is a bit alarming for a team looking to remain as contenders. Swayman sported a .945 save percentage in 10 games, which is simply stupendous. He certainly is NHL ready. Vladar also was pretty solid for the most part. He had one bad game against the Washington Capitals where he let up 8 goals, but that was because of an atrocious effort from his teammates.

Yet, we do not know how these two will play during an 82-game schedule, as their sample sizes are just too small. The Bruins may want to consider adding a veteran presence to help mentor the kids because of this.

The Bruins have interesting options.

If the Bruins do have trust in their young goalies, it does make sense to bring back Rask. In fact, it would even be heavily encouraged by most. It is just the significance of his injury that makes it risky. Halak is not a bad choice, either, as he has shown success in a backup role. It could make sense if he takes less money on a new contract.

However, the Bruins could also go outside the box and bring in a new goalie through free agency. They would likely want to save some money if so, though. Some potential fits include James Reimer, Petr Mrazek, and Frederik Anderson. They could be the type of players who are more open to a one-year contract, which would be best for a team looking to run with Swayman for the foreseeable future.

Ultimately, whether they bring back one of the veterans or sign someone new, these youngsters need a mentor of some kind. If not, it could be a very grueling season in Beantown.