PROVIDENCE, RI – It was reported last week that Boston Bruins had invited former Red Wings Goaltender Jonas Gustavsson for a professional tryout during training camp. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Bruins went out and added depth to their goaltending core. Especially after the flop that Niklas Svedberg suffered last season and the dismantling that Malcolm Subban encountered in his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues.
Gustavsson is now the only back-up goalie on the Bruins payroll that has actually proven anything at the NHL level.
While his career numbers of 60-55-21 (six shutouts), .901 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average aren’t that impressive, he could serve as a sturdy back-up for Tuukka Rask this season. He could allow Malcolm Subban and Jeremy Smith to develop in the minors for one more year. This would create a great goaltending battle heading into the 2016 season, allowing both young goalies to have the most experience possible.
Gustavsson missed most of last season with a separated shoulder, and hit free agency on July 1st without any takers. Gustavsson proved himself as a very viable back-up for Jimmy Howard while he was with the Detroit Red Wings, but recurring injuries sidelined him and he was pasted by Petr Mrazek who would later take the starting job from Jimmy Howard.
Gustavsson has spent six years playing in North America, splitting his time between the NHL and Grand Rapids Griffins (Red Wings affiliate) and Toronto Marlies ( Maple Leafs Affiliate).
But Gustavsson will most likely just be there to push the young guys and see if either Subban or Smith can step up and make a stronger case for why they should be the back-up goalie. If Gustavsson does come in and take over the job as Rask’s back-up, it would probably only be for the season if he makes it that far.
The Bruins front office will most likely be eager to bring up Subban to show that he would be a serviceable player in the NHL and he could one day take over the starting position if anything happened to Rask.
The goaltending position has been a major story since Svedberg’s struggles last season, as of now there is no clear cut back-up for Rask but it has gotten a little bit more interesting. It’ll be interesting to see how everything pans out in the net, but we won’t have to wait long with training camp right around the corner and the first pre-season game next Sunday.
Although it seems doubtful Gustavsson will be with the Bruins for a long time, he does add a new and different dynamic to the Bruins goaltending situation.
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