Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask embracing the competition

The Boston Bruins signed Jaroslav Halak in the offseason, and Tuukka Rask is excited to have such a good goaltender in the locker room.

Some Boston Bruins fans may think that Jaroslav Halak may come in and steal Tuukka Rask’s job, but Rask isn’t worried about that.

The Bruins signed Halak in the offseason after the departure of Anton Khudobin. Halak has had some great seasons but struggled recently. He seems to not have the longevity to be a starter in the NHL.

Even though Halak may not be suited for a role as a starter, that doesn’t mean fans won’t be hoping for it. Some section of Boston Bruins fans feel that Rask is incapable of winning a Stanley Cup, but I beg to differ.

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Rask doesn’t seem to be too worried about losing his job.

"“There’s always a competitive situation and I’m sure you guys will try to create something out of it, too, so we’ll see how it goes,” he said with a wry smile. “Every year we start from zero and I think the goal for every team is to have two good goaltenders and then you see how it plays out. You spread out the playing time between both of them and hope that going into the playoffs, everyone is fresh and ready to go. But I think the team has the luxury to have two good goaltenders.”"

Last season we saw Rask get a lot of rest during the season. Part of it was due to his poor play, but it seems like something the Bruins were planning on doing before his stretch of poor play.

"“Last year was the first year where we set up a plan and stuck with it, so I think that benefited everybody,” said Rask. “We finished the year disappointing, but having the meetings and talking to the coaches and managers, I felt fresh and I had a lot of energy left in me, and I think that’s a great sign. It’s what we want to have and this year is not going to be any different.”"

Having Halak should have a positive effect on Rask

It was interesting to hear that the Boston Bruins had a plan for the goaltending situation and stuck with it last season. Rask struggled out of the gate and Anton Khudobin took over the starting job, it is hard to believe that the Bruins planned on playing Khudobin so much early on.

I think the addition of Halak will help Rask in the long run. It should keep him on his toes, and bring out the best in the goaltender. Rask shouldn’t need the added motivation, but if it helps him make more stops you can’t complain.

Rask is hoping to bring the Bruins back to the playoffs. If he doesn’t struggle like he did early on Rask could be competing for some hardware.

The Bruins have a much better defense, and I think Rask will be seeing the puck much better. I think Rask could put up some great numbers this season.

Next. Matt Grzelcyk will find his role. dark

So no matter if there is a competition or not, Tuukka Rask should have a great season.

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