Jaroslav Halak staying with the Boston Bruins
Jaroslav Halak and the Boston Bruins haven’t played a game since March, but the two sides still knew how important it was to take care of business ahead of next season. The goaltender was set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the current campaign and the Bruins didn’t want to take any chances of losing the veteran.
On Friday, the club announced that they had reached a one-year extension with the 34-year-old on a deal worth $2.25m, with a bonus of $1.25m if he appears in at least 10 games. Halak has proven to be a valuable piece for the Bruins who rely on the Slovakian to provide rest and coverage for their starting goaltender Tuukka Rask. Halak’s current deal sees him earn $5.5 million per season.
Prior to the season being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Halak had played in 31 games posting an 18-6-6 record. He also had 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage to go along with it.
Rask featured in 41 games for the Bruins with a record of 26-8-6. He has a 2.12 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. The two-goalie combination affords the Bruins the luxury of riding the hot hand and starting the goalie who is most up for the task on any given night. It also keeps both goalies fresh for the playoffs. The concept worked terrifically for the Bruins last season, who only got better as the season progressed last year.
Halak is in just his second season with the club, having spent the previous five seasons with the New York Islanders’ organization. He was taken with the 271st overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens but was traded to the St. Louis Blues following the 2009-10 season. He has also played for the Washington Capitals.
While with the Blues, Halak won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2011-12. The annual award is given to the goaltender team with the fewest goals scored against it having played a minimum of 25 games. Despite going to the Stanley Cup final last year with the Bruins, Halak has never been able to win the prestigious trophy. He does have a Silver medal with Slovakia though, finishing second in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The Bruins did not let the loss in last year’s Stanley Cup finals slag them down this season, as they were comfortably sitting atop of the standings in the Atlantic Division, eight points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning. They also had six more points than any other team in the entire NHL and were looking like a lock to secure this year’s Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since 2014 and for just the third time since 1990.
No official decision or announcement in regard to the remainder of the 2019-2020 NHL season and whether it can be concluded has been made yet, but the entire Bruins organization is certainly hoping that it can be.
