The Boston Bruins signed former Islander Jaroslav Halak after the Dallas Stars signed backup goaltender Anton Khudobin on July 1.
Halak signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Bruins and will replace Khudobin as the backup to Tuukka Rask. The 33-year-old had a 20-26-6 record with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage last season with the Islanders.
While Halak played the same amount of games last season as Rask, he is expected to play between 25 and 30 games this coming season. That being said, Halak’s health is critical for the Bruins.
“I’ll try to help out any way I can,” Halak told the Boston Globe. “I’ll try to fit in as soon as possible.”
Halak’s numbers are not that impressive, but looking at the Islanders’ penalty kill which ended last in the league, that could be a major reason for Halak’s down season. This season, the netminder will be behind a tighter defense and a Bruins penalty kill that was third-best in the NHL which will hopefully improve Halak’s stats.
When asked about what influenced him to sign with Boston, Halak said his decision came down to the team and his family.
“I have two kids already, and Boston is a great city for a family as well, living there. I think that was the main decision,” Halak said. “Also, Boston has a great team, and they’re always on top of the standings, and I’m just looking forward to helping out.”
One Response
Im gonna miss Dobby but i feel like Halak is a good fit as a backup