According to Boston Bruins’ insider Joe Haggerty, Tuukka Rask may elect to hang up his skates. Haggerty appeared on TSN690 radio in Montreal on Tuesday and said that he’s hearing the veteran netminder will likely retire after playing through the final year of his contract.
After leaving his team mid-playoffs and there being questions about his commitment level to the Bruins, Rask has been run through the ringer a bit by Bruins fans. Many are suggesting that being in the NHL bubble and away from his family caused too much strain, but Haggerty appears to be saying there’s a more general and hockey-related reason Rask has gone home.
Haggerty said:
“The speculation out there is that he might not even play after next year…I don’t think hockey is all that important to Tuukka, I think he has other interests, I think he has other things he likes to do…”
There’s certainly an argument to be made that this assessment is correct, even if the crux behind why it was said might hint as a negative towards Rask. After all, Rask did say that the games didn’t feel like playoff games. He didn’t seem to be enjoying the experience.
People change their priorities all the time. With a young family at home and having made a ton of money in the NHL and won multiple awards, it’s not illogical to assume Rask’s priorities have changed as well.
Related: Tuukka Rask Opts Out of Remainder of the NHL Playoffs
Haggerty adds:
“I don’t think it burns inside his belly like it does in all those other Bruins players and it’s why you see these things from him from time to time…I just think hockey’s not as high up on the list as it needs to be for a guy you’re paying that kind of money to..”
Again, this shouldn’t be seen as a negative but it’s being twisted into that narrative. To me, the only way this turns out to be a negative is if Rask shows up for camp next season and clearly doesn’t want to be there.
The Dangers Of Not Leaving When The Passion Is Gone
If Rask takes the money from the Bruins and puts in only half the effort, that’s a problem. If he shows up out of shape or he gives the team an indication that at the first sign of trouble he’ll go home, the Bruins have a decision to make.
From a team perspective, if they get the inclination that Rask would do such a thing, the best play would be to trade him or ask him to retire. If Rask is even thinking about doing such a thing, the honorable thing to do would be to hang up your skates immediately.
It’s only right that if the player shows up to play, his head and his heart need to be in it.
So, the real question isn’t whether or not Rask has decided hockey isn’t as important as it once was. Fans have already seen something similar with a player like Dustin Byfuglien. The question becomes, ‘If that’s true, and Rask isn’t interested in playing hockey any longer, what is his plan?’ Will he walk away and do the right thing? Or, will he show up disinterested and not ready to play?
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