Boston Bruins Top 5 Questions For 2015-2016

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Who will back up Tuukka Rask?

Mar 10, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) makes a save on a shot from Ottawa Senators right wing Bobby Ryan (6) in the third period at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Bruins defeated the Senators 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

It goes without saying that Tuukka Rask played way too many games during the 2014-2015 campaign. Ideally, NHL teams would like their starting goaltender to play somewhere in the range of 55-60 games; 65 at most if they find themselves in a playoff race as the B’s did all of last season. Rask started 67 games and played in 70 overall this past season. That was a very heavy workload to place on the franchise goalie, who is arguably Boston’s most important player. The main reason Rask found himself playing in 85% of the Bruins’ games was due to Boston fighting for a playoff position all year. However, another reason was due to the lack of confidence in backup goalie Niklas Svedberg. Due to limited play time in Boston last year, Svedberg jumped ship to the KHL, leaving the B’s with an open competition for their back up goaltender role.

The 3 netminders competing for that role are Malcolm Subban, Jeremy Smith, and Zane McIntyre. Subban, the 24th overall pick by Boston in the 2012 Draft, played in only one game last season, which happened to be his NHL debut, on the road against the St. Louis Blues. After a solid 1st period, Subban gave up 3 soft goals on 6 shots in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd period before being pulled for, you guessed it, Tuukka Rask.

Subban has performed adequately in Providence the past couple of seasons, but has yet to fully prove he is ready for the pressure of the NHL. Jeremy Smith played more games in Providence last year than Subban, and had better stats as well. Last year in Providence, Subban posted a 16-13-4 record with a 2.44 GAA and a .921 SV%, while Smith recorded a 22-11-5 mark with a 2.05 GAA and a .933 SV%. Smith clearly has the upper hand heading into training camp. The long shot of the backup goalie race, Zane McIntyre, was a 6th round pick of Boston’s in the 2010 Draft.

During his junior year at North Dakota last season, McIntyre received the Mike Richter Award, which is given to Division 1 Hockey’s Most Oustanding Goalie. McIntyre signed a 2-way entry-level deal this summer with Boston and will likely spend most of the first year of his pro career in Providence. As of now, Smith is the frontrunner to back up Tuukka Rask this season for the Black and Gold. But a strong showing in training camp and the preseason by Subban could make the choice much more difficult for B’s brass.

Next: Who will fill out the 3rd defensive pair?

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