Once it became clear that Tuukka Rask would definitely be returning to the Bruins this season, the questions about why the team signed Linus Ullmark in free agency for four years and $20 million only increased.
If you had a promising rookie in Jeremy Swayman and Rask would eventually be returning, why invest so much in another goalie? Why put yourself in a situation where Swayman has to be sent down to Providence?
The last few weeks may be answering those questions. Rask’s return from offseason hip surgery has been anything but smooth. He gave up five goals in two of his first four starts, and then he suffered a setback with a lower-body injury that sidelined him for the final week before the All-Star break. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready to play when the Bruins return from the break on Tuesday.
Ullmark, meanwhile, has given the Bruins some certainty in net. He’s gone 9-1-1 since Jan. 1 and started four straight games leading into the All-Star break. He had also been playing well in the month leading up to the December COVID pause.
During his weekly appearance on Gresh & Keefe, NESN analyst and former Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft was asked if Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would do anything differently regarding his goalie situation if he could.
“I don’t think so. I think this proves that the Ullmark signing was warranted,” Raycroft said. “Having Tuukka in and out, having a solid, veteran NHL guy -- he’s 5-1-1 in his last seven games. Linus has played really well.
“It is OK for Jeremy Swayman to be on this little bit of a yo-yo. It’s good for his experience. It’s good for his development. Having Linus here with Tuukka in and out, and not quite sure where he is, is proof to me that they made a good decision. And they’re still only spending $6 million on their goaltending.”
As far as Rask goes, Raycroft -- who was in favor of bringing him back -- acknowledged that his concern level is rising regarding Rask’s health.
“It’s getting there. And I wouldn’t have said that three weeks ago,” Raycroft said. “I didn’t think it would be too much of an issue coming in. We talked about it a lot -- I thought he’d be fine just jumping in and playing. You look at where they’re at now, and you start questioning how long does he get to work into his game. I think the Bruins are still in a really good position. They’re solidly in the playoffs. … I’m not worried about where they end up in the standings. I just don’t want this to linger too much longer.
“I thought you would have Tuukka play a couple good starts, a couple bad starts, go into the All-Star break, and when he comes out of it he’s right where he needs to be. Now with this injury lingering, how much work can he get done during the All-Star break? How many games does he get after the break? Because you’re looking at the home stretch right out of this All-Star break. So I’m more concerned than I was certainly two weeks ago.”
Listen to the full interview with Raycroft below, and be sure to tune in to Sunday Skate featuring Raycroft, Matt Kalman and Scott McLaughlin when it returns on Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
