Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli announced the signing of the club's top prospect Tuukka Rask to a three-year contract worth $850,000 per season, the maximum allowed under the CBA. The team also announced he's headed for North America and will join the Providence Bruins for the duration of their AHL playoff run. Chiarelli noted Rask will only practice with the team and not play.
The 20-year-old Rask recently finished his season with Ilves Tampere with an impressive .928 save percentage and 2.38 goals-against average. A 2005 first-round pick of Toronto, Rask was acquired on last June's draft day for Andrew Raycroft.
While Chiarelli was quick to point out that Rask is a potential No. 1 puck-stopper, and everyone who talks about the 20-year-old claims he’s mature beyond his years, Rask said he isn’t sure how he’ll match up once he gets on a North American rink.
It seems a longshot for Rask to earn one of the Bruins’ two goaltending spots to start next season - though that could change if the Bruins, as some predict, trade away Hannu Toivonen. It also could change if Rask came to camp and simply dazzled. So the Raycroft trade make begin looking real bad for the Leafs as early as next season.
