Without a doubt, the Bruins boast the best goalie tandem in the league. Tim Thomas, 2 time Vezina winner and last year’s Conn Smythe winner, looks poised to be named the best goalie in the league once again. Not many people believed Tim could top the numbers he put up last year. However, so far this year he’s been even better (16-5, 1.84 GAA, .940 save percentage). Tuukka Rask is no slouch himself, posting a 6-4-1 record, a 1.82 GAA, and a .940 save percentage. Thomas is still signed on for 1 more year at $5 million. Rask is a restricted free agent after this year. Anton Khudobin, the Baby B’s starting net minder, has put up respectable numbers for the Bruins and Minnesota Wild organizations. What happens with Boston goalies after this year?
Assuming the Bruins make the playoffs at the end of the 2011/2012 regular season, Tim Thomas will be 38 years old when the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins. As stated earlier, he’ll have 1 more year on his contract. Many elite goaltenders in the past put up excellent numbers in their late 30s/ early 40s. Tim looks like he’ll be able to do the same. Barring injury or a dramatic drop in production, Tim should be the Bruins #1 goalie for the next 3-4 years.
Rask will be 25 years old later in the regular season. Since he joined the Bruins, he’s gone 42-31 with a 2.20 GAA and .927 save percentage. Rask would easily be the #1 goalie on just about any other team in the league. There were rumors earlier this year of possible Rask trades with Columbus and other teams looking for goalie help. Fortunately for the Bruins, none of those rumors proved to be true. Rask will be a restricted free agent at the end of this year. Is he willing to remain Timmy’s backup for the next 3-4 years?
Khudobin is the wild card in the Bruins goalie situation. The B’s traded for Khudobin early in 2011. They’re main focus was to find a goalie for Providence. Khudobin’s put up good numbers in the NHL when called up by Minnesota. He was 4-1 with 1 shutout and a GAA of less than 2. He threatened to bolt to the KHL after the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. However, he signed a 2 year contract with the Bruins through the 2012/2013 season.
Since his hip surgery at the end of the 2009/2010 season, Tim Thomas has been phenomenal in goal. He’s the Bruins #1 goaltender for the next few years. Rask goes into RFA status at the end of this year. Khudobin is signed through 2012/2013. What will the Bruins do? Will they let Rask walk at the end of the year? Will they trade Rask? If they sign Rask, will Khudobin be happy knowing his chances of making the big club are slim? We’ll just have to wait and see.
NEXT BLOG: How will Dougie Hamilton affect the Bruins defense in 2012?
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