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Tuukka Rask discussed his contract status and how much longer he thinks he could play in the NHL
"I could play 10 more years with my style of hockey, but I’m definitely not going to play that long."
Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask spoke to WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Friday morning, discussing a range of topics as he prepares for the start of Boston’s next playoff series on Saturday against the Islanders.
One subject Rask talked about was helping to raise money for Charlie Capalbo, a fellow goaltender who is currently battling cancer for the third time.
“I figured I could help out and donate some money and hopefully if people want to donate a dollar or two, that probably would be greatly appreciated,” Rask explained.
As far as his current status with the Bruins, the 34-year-old goaltender said that he thinks Boston is in a good place after defeating the Capitals in the first round of the playoffs in five games.
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“I think we’re really well balanced,” Rask said of the Bruins. “We have four really solid lines, everybody can score, everybody can play defense. And I think our defensive pairings have come together. They feel very comfortable playing with each other.”
Rask missed several weeks in the regular season (in March and into April) due to an upper-body injury, but said he’s feeling good enough to stay on the ice.
“Game feels good,” Rask noted. “Health is OK. I’ve been playing, so that’s OK. It’s not as good as I’d want it to be, but obviously I’ve been playing and practicing. I’m out there. That’s all that matters.”
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Following the season, Rask is currently set to become a free agent. He expanded on previous comments he’d made about his future when asked a health-related question by Boston Globe reporter Kevin Paul Dupont following Game 1 of the previous playoff series.
“I guess if you’re talking contract status, we haven’t had any discussions during the playoffs,” said Rask on Friday. “We’ll find out. There’s going to obviously be some decisions to be made. We’ll see. There’s no pressure about that. I’m sure we’re going to have good talks and come to a conclusion that pleases everybody.”
As far as how much longer he thinks he can play, the 14-year veteran shared his thoughts.
“With my style, I could probably play 10 more years if I wanted to,” said Rask. “It’s just a matter of how long you want to play. That’s the question I have to ask myself. How long do I want to keep doing this? It takes a lot of time and effort every season to prepare yourself and go through that grind, so those are the questions I have to ask.
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“Because if you sign a contract and you play, you have to commit to it. You don’t want to be second-guessing yourself midway through the season — why did I keep playing, or you’re totally checked out. I could play 10 more years with my style of hockey, but I’m definitely not going to play that long. It’s just a matter of how long I want to keep grinding out.”
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