Player Discussion Tuukka Rask VI

[WhalerTurnedBruin55]

I think you are right in that goaltending is a crapshoot, even for the best guys. I think overall you want a guy who is consistently a top 10 goalie (obviously top 5 is ideal but it's extremely rare to find year after year). At worst you want your starter to be consistently in the top half of the league for starters.

Consistency is tough to find ESPECIALLY for goalies. I took a look back at the past 10 years to see how consistently guys are in the top 3 of Vezina voting just for my own curiosity.

It's very rare for a guy to show up in consecutive years. Holtby, Rinne and Lundvqist did it. Only Thomas and Bobrovsky have won it more than once. Rinne shows up the most, but only once in consecutive years. A top guy like Quick had a 3 year break before being top 3 again and another top guy in Bobrovsky had a 3 year break before getting his 2nd win.

2018 Vezina finalists: Rinne, Hellebuyck, Vaselevski
2017: Bobrovsky, Holtby, Price
2016: Holtby, Bishop, Quick
2015: Price, Rinne, Dubnyk
2014: Rask, Varlamov, Bishop
2013: Bobrovsky, Lundqvist, Niemi
2012: Lundqvist, Quick, Rinne
2011: Thomas, Rinne, Lou
2010: Miller, Bryzgalov, Broduer
2009: Thomas, Mason Backstrom

I stopped at 2009 because Brodeur was dominant before then, kind of ruining the theory that it's a crapshoot.

Consistency year to year for goalies isn't just a Rask issue. Lots of things affect this like defensemen regressing, systems changing and goalies simply getting worse as they age.

If someone or myself has more time I'd be curious to see what the top 5 looks like for voting as well.

My point in regards to your post? All of these guys make close to what Rask make. So you trade his 7 mil and spend it elsewhere. You aren't going to get a goalie of the caliber of the guys on the above list (maybe Bobrovsky, who has atrocious playoff stats, what people rag on Rask for), so you risk having an even streakier goalie from year to year. I'm not against a trade if we get the right pieces, but we need a better plan than Halak as our starter.

I'm actually a little surprised to not see Rask's name more often, I remember him being better.

That said... he's still one of the top paid tenders in the league regardless.

There are expectations that come with that.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

You might be on to something here. Thomas was a take no prisoners type of guy and Rask, while fiery in his own way, isn't that type at all. He's not a me, me, me guy either. As that article that @Gee Wally posted upthread, Rask is one hell of a standup guy and gets very little credit for it. I think he's severely underappreciated around here

Not to get too off topic, but I just wanted to say that I love the fact that there are a bunch of guys on the B’s that are “accountable” when they aren’t playing well or have a bad game. It goes from the top with Bergeron, Rask, etc., to the rookies with Heinen and DeBrusk answering tons of questions about their sophomore struggles.

Nice to see.

 

[LouJersey]

After this season Rask can be at about 43rd in all time goalie wins. 11th all time gaa. Tied for 2nd all time in sv ptc with some guy named Dryden. Tied for 38th all time shutouts.

The man has hall of fame type career stats.

 

[Gee Wally]

I think many don’t remember the vast waste land it was here between Moog/ Lemelin to Thomas/Rask.

It was horrific.

 

[NDiesel]

I think many don’t remember the vast waste land it was here between Moog/ Lemelin to Thomas/Rask.

It was horrific.

I was born right after Moog left Boston. I barely remember much of the goaltending from then until Thomas - I do recall guys like Raycroft, Dafoe, and Manny Fernandez.

Even without those 'horrific' years in my mind I still appreciate how incredible Rask has been. I feel like the posters who are ready to trade him and anoint Halak as the starter are just preparing themselves for another run like that.

 

[NDiesel]

I'm actually a little surprised to not see Rask's name more often, I remember him being better.

That said... he's still one of the top paid tenders in the league regardless.

There are expectations that come with that.

Yeah I understand. For his level of pay some more consistency would be great. But that OP was just to put out there that similarly paid guys go through the same ups and downs as Rask does yet generally don't receive the same hatred. I think it's more about the position than it is the player.

 

[Agent86]

Yeah, but his body language...

Follow the money, if he was making 3.5 per season it's crickets on Rask. The occasional softie would be kept in context and reasoned away with the indisputable fact that every goalie does it.
As Wally states above there were many seasons of sub par netminding in Boston, the last decade has been very stable in goal.

 

[Glove Malfunction]

Just had a thought. Depending on how either Swayman or Keyser develop, what do you think the chances are that Rask is left exposed to Seattle?

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

After this season Rask can be at about 43rd in all time goalie wins. 11th all time gaa. Tied for 2nd all time in sv ptc with some guy named Dryden. Tied for 38th all time shutouts.

The man has hall of fame type career stats.

Game 7 of the cup finals, you can name 20 goalies all time to start the game. Is Rask one of your 20?

He's not one of mine.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

I think many don’t remember the vast waste land it was here between Moog/ Lemelin to Thomas/Rask.

It was horrific.

Other then the Dafoe years yea

 

[DKH]

Just had a thought. Depending on how either Swayman or Keyser develop, what do you think the chances are that Rask is left exposed to Seattle?

When is the draft ?

He will be coming off a Stanley Cup in 2020 so don’t see it

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Other then the Dafoe years yea

The Net Detective extravaganza year as well.

 

[Gee Wally]

Other then the Dafoe years yea

He did have one or two very good season but otherwise he was mostly mediocre.

Byron Dafoe Stats | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[LouJersey]

The Net Detective extravaganza year as well.

the Lacher season was a fave of mine as well. I loved that kid.

 

[LouJersey]

Game 7 of the cup finals, you can name 20 goalies all time to start the game. Is Rask one of your 20?

He's not one of mine.

would have to look, I doubt it.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

rask has played 7 games this year... if you throw out the results in Washington he has allowed 13 goals in the last 6 games on 178 shots

that's a goals against average of around 2.15 and a save percentage roughly .925ish

hes only lost 3 games in total this year... his goal support from the team in those 3 games was just 2. we were shutout in 2 of his 3 loses. how is a goalie supposed to win the game when his team is shutout?

im not going to sit here and say hes perfect... but if you allow that anyone might have an off night and his off night was in Washington... and throw out that result... his numbers this season are pretty damn good

then again a middle of the road goalie like halak has league best numbers too

so I think we can give the boys in front of rask and halak some credit for being a very very good defensive team. defense wins championships so its something to be very happy about.

 

[Fopppa]

I'm going to break this down for you all.

It's all in the perception, innit. When your own team scores your focus is on a great individual effort, when your own team concedes a goal your focus is on who f***ed up.

Most of us here watch all (or most of) the B's games and only occasionally watch the other teams so we see all of Rask's flaws and only occasionally do we see the flaws of every other goalie. And when you do watch a game as a neutral and see those flaws you still won't be upset about other goalies' mistakes so they don't linger in your head like the ones your own guy made. Instead we watch highlights and see awesome saves from all the other goalies and only occasionally maybe a highlight save from Rask that still gets lost in the shuffle. Rask f***s up, yes. Just like any other goalie does. It just tends to grate us when he does. We see all the mistakes he makes and that's the impression that is lasting.

Having said that, trade the bum!

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Game 7 of the cup finals, you can name 20 goalies all time to start the game. Is Rask one of your 20?

He's not one of mine.

He's not likely in the top 40.

But goalies are not as big a difference maker in today's game as they once were. Most of them are good, but are any of them great?

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

He's not likely in the top 40.

But goalies are not as big a difference maker in today's game as they once were. Most of them are good, but are any of them great?

I think you could make a decent case for Rinne being great. He played on a lot of really mediocre teams before getting to play with these great ones. You could argue the same about Hank.

I think it would be an interesting sim/debate to wonder what the Bruins would have done with either Rinne or Hank in nets the last 7 years. Fun alternate universe to ponder.

But yeah as a whole now it seems like goalies aren't really getting much more than 5 great years. Doesn't seem like as dominant a stretch as before.

 

[BruinDust]

I think many don’t remember the vast waste land it was here between Moog/ Lemelin to Thomas/Rask.

It was horrific.

I counted it once I think something like more than 20 different goaltenders appeared in the Boston net from the time they traded Moog for Casey in 1993-94 until Thomas and Rask arrived in 2006.

 

[Dr Hook]

I counted it once I think something like more than 20 different goaltenders appeared in the Boston net from the time they traded Moog for Casey in 1993-94 until Thomas and Rask arrived in 2006.

It was fugly my friend, and all the "trade Tuuka" talk because the backup has had a few good games crew must have not been around to see that or have very selective memories. Never again, I say!

 

[BruinDust]

It was fugly my friend, and all the "trade Tuuka" talk because the backup has had a few good games crew must have not been around to see that or have very selective memories. Never again, I say!

We've been spoiled here as Bruins fans the last decade + with stable and competent starting goal-tending.

All those franchises that have spent the vast majority of the salary cap era wandering in the wilderness all have one thing in common.

Mediocre goaltenders.

 

[NDiesel]

I think you could make a decent case for Rinne being great. He played on a lot of really mediocre teams before getting to play with these great ones. You could argue the same about Hank.

I think it would be an interesting sim/debate to wonder what the Bruins would have done with either Rinne or Hank in nets the last 7 years. Fun alternate universe to ponder.

But yeah as a whole now it seems like goalies aren't really getting much more than 5 great years. Doesn't seem like as dominant a stretch as before.

For as great as he is, Rinne has an amazing tendency to constantly get lit up and pulled in the playoffs, he would get roasted on these boards.

 

[UncleRico]

I think many don’t remember the vast waste land it was here between Moog/ Lemelin to Thomas/Rask.

It was horrific.

I didn’t mind Byron Dafoe, but the defenses in front of him were atrocious.

 

[nazartp]

I counted it once I think something like more than 20 different goaltenders appeared in the Boston net from the time they traded Moog for Casey in 1993-94 until Thomas and Rask arrived in 2006.

Do you remember who was the pair Grahame - XXX when the B's lost to NJ Devils in the quarterfinals? That was the year Samsonov got injured and barely healed by the playoffs. It's clearly a suppressed memory for me.

P.S.: Just remembered - Steve Shields.