Boston Bruins: No reason to worry about Tuukka Rask

After his departure from the bubble in 2020, some Boston Bruins fans began to doubt Tuukka Rask, but Bruce Cassidy talked about how excited the goaltender is to return.

When it comes to proving fans wrong, there is no one better than Tuukka Rask. Whenever Boston Bruins fans start complaining about him, he tends to shut them up with his play. It seems like Rask will have to do that again in 2021.

Now we all know why Rask left the bubble. He had a family emergency. His daughter’s health was not in a good place. There’s no debating his decision to leave the bubble. If you have a problem with it, you are a lost cause. There’s nothing I can say to change your mind.

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So even though Rask shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone, he will have a lot to prove to a certain sect of Bruins fans.

In a normal year, Rask would already be showing what he is capable of on the ice, but 2020 is the farthest thing from that. We still have no idea when the upcoming season will begin, but that isn’t stopping Bruce Cassidy from talking about who will be between the pipes.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, but Rask will be the starter. If he wasn’t, the Bruins would be in some major trouble.

But what Cassidy had to say should get Bruins fans excited. It seems as though Rask is itching to get back on the ice.

"“I think Tuukka, he can speak for himself,” Cassidy said. “But I think he just wants to get back in the net and play hockey and play well and give us a chance to win. Probably nobody more excited on our team to [be] getting back in there. I would assume that Tuukka would sort of say, ‘Hey, I’m still the goalie I was last year and I’m ready to go. Family’s good, I’m good. Everyone’s in a good place. Let’s play hockey.'”"

Usually, it would be hard to say this about a Vezina Trophy finalist, but Rask will have a chip on his shoulder. It seems like we could see Rask have an unprecedented performance in 2021.

Even though Rask knows that most Bruins fans have his back, he would have to be living under a rock to not hear some of the hate he is getting. That has to motivate him as the season approaches.

With the Bruins losing players such as Torey Krug, Rask will need to be on top of his game. Boston’s blueline will go through a transitionary phase with some players seeing an increased role, as well as some younger players finally getting a chance to see if they can play in the NHL.

But Bruins fans shouldn’t be worried about Rask. If anything they should be itching for the season to start. 2021 has the chance to be one of the best seasons of Tuukka’s career.