Obscure former Boston Bruins: Malcolm Subban

After Zane McIntyre became the first goalie to be the subject of an obscure former Bruins piece, we go back to the goalie crease with today’s subject, Malcolm Subban, who started his career with the Bruins.

Malcolm Subban was chosen in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, with the Bruins taking him with the 24th overall pick. Subban was signed just before the NHL lockout in 2012, with Subban playing another season for the OHL Belleville Bulls as a result.

Subban made his NHL debut in 2014-2015, and it didn’t go well. He allowed three goals and saved just three shots against the St. Louis Blues before getting pulled from the game. He didn’t play in the NHL again until 2016-2017. He appeared in one game that season, making 13 saves on 16 shots in a loss against the Minnesota Wild.

After being signed to a two-year contract prior to the 2017-2018 season, Subban was placed on waivers just before the season as the Bruins tried to assign him to Providence. That was when his tenure with the Bruins ended, playing just two NHL games with them before the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him off waivers.

Subban then became a part of the original Golden Knights squad. Due to a rotating carousel of goalies because of injury, Subban appeared in 22 games with the inaugural Vegas squad, posting a 2.68 GAA and .910 save percentage in 19 starts and 22 games.

Subban also spent the entire 2018-2019 season with Vegas, posting a .902 save percentage and 2.93 GAA in 20 starts and 21 games. He started 2019-2020 with Vegas before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Robin Lehner trade. 20 of Subban’s 21 games that season came with Vegas prior to the trade.

The following season, the shortened 56 game season, Subban spent the year as Kevin Lankinen’s backup in Chicago. He started 14 games and appeared in 16, going 6-8-1 with a shaky 3.20 GAA and .900 save percentage, but did have two shutouts.

Before the 2021-2022 season, he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for future considerations after Chicago landed Marc-Andre Fleury. He appeared in four games and started three, spending most of the year with AHL Rochester.

Last season, Subban spent the entire season with Rochester, recording a 20-14-5 record with a .903 save percentage and 2.94 GAA in 39 games, adding two shutouts. Subban was the starter for Rochester in the playoffs, recording a 2.56 GAA and .916 save percentage in 14 games.

Currently, Malcolm Subban is with the St. Louis Blues organization, signing a one-year, two-way contract that pays him $775,000 at the NHL level and $450,000 in the minors. It’s rather likely that Subban spends the year in the AHL, with their current affiliate being the Springfield Thunderbirds.