Boston Bruins goaltender absolutely shocked the hockey world when he announced that he was leaving his team and the NHL's "bubble" in order to spend time at home with his wife and newborn daughter.
“There are things more important than hockey in my life,” Rask said, “and that is being with my family.”
Publicly the team, his teammates and his coaches have supported Rask's choice. But behind the scenes general manager Don Sweeney is reportedly working the phones to find a trade for Rask according to long-time Bruins reporter Kevin Paul Dupont. In his latest column for The Boston Globe, Dupont reports that Rask's time with the Bruins is likely over after asking for his second leave of absence from the team for family reasons.
It sounds ridiculous to dump a guy from your roster because he has bigger responsibilities at home, but let's not forget that Dupont has a real track record of being right about these sorts of things. While his analysis isn't my cup of tea, he's not one to make things up for the sake of rumour.
Check out some of these quotes from Dupont's most recent column for the Boston Globe:
Look, we don’t really know what’s going on here, because whatever the state of Rask’s family dynamics, whatever influence they have on his mindset for the job, that’s his business.
What we do know with absolute certainty, though, is that Rask now twice has proven he is unable to balance being both family man and franchise goalie. That’s trouble. That’s no way to run a hockey team, never mind try to survive four grueling rounds of postseason play and capture what would be the franchise’s seventh Stanley Cup in its near century of existence.
All of which points to Rask not being here whenever — if ever — the 2020-21 season starts. It’s time for both sides to shake hands, recall the many good memories, and move on to situations that are better, more predictable fits for both.
So, yes, it’s possible that things quiet down at home for Rask and he asks back in a week or two. But that’s not a bet to make. Rask has one year left on his contract and the Bruins have the right to trade him to one of the 15 teams he was obligated to name months ago as the February trade deadline approached. Sweeney will be working the phones.
From here, it looks like Rask’s time is finished.
Look, if the Bruins do elect to trade Rask there will be no shortage of suitors. For all the criticism Rask gets from Boston media and fans, he's an elite level goaltender who has been rock solid for more than a decade.
For the full article from Dupont, click below:
