Veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask is officially on the comeback path. He signed a professional tryout contract with the Providence Bruins of the AHL on Wednesday, the franchise announced.
Rask was an unrestricted free agent and underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip in July. The 34-year old netminder is expected to start for Providence on Friday when they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Following some conditioning with Providence, Rask is expected to eventually sign a contract with the Bruins. With a 306-163-66 record, Rask is the franchise's career leader in wins.
"I feel great," Rask said during a Zoom call with members of the media, courtesy of NESN's George Balekji. "Biggest issue for me was the catching of the joint and the pain that created.. that all is gone. Physically I feel great. Obviously it's been a while since game action but we'll get tomorrow's game and see what happens after that."
Up to this point, the Bruins' goaltending situation has been handled by both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, the latter of whom signed a four-year, $20 million contract in the offseason. It's been a very even timeshare, with Swayman starting 15 games and Ullmark starting 14 so far this season.
Rask spent his entire 13-year NHL career with the Bruins. The Finnish goaltender won the Vezina Trophy in 2014, which is annually awarded to the league's top goaltender. In addition, Rask was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2020.
