Even before this nightmare that's lasted over 50 days now began, I was never someone that got hung up on the salaries of pro athletes. After all, you or I aren't footing the bill so who cares? They have also worked most of their lives to reach the highest level of their chosen sport so good for them. The unemployment rate is through the roof these days in the United States so it sounds silly to call $2.25 million a bargain but the truth is that for a goaltender the caliber of Halak it is a steal. Even if you aren't a B's fan, it would be tough to argue that their goaltender tandem of Tuukka Rask (26-8-6, 2.12 goals against average, .929 save percentage and 5 shutouts this season) and Halak (18-6-6, 2.39 goals against average, .919 save percentage and 3 shutouts this season) isn't one of the best in the entire league if not the top one.
Rask was the favorite for the Vezina Trophy during this incredible campaign and as we saw last season, finally having a quality goalie beside him like Halak was one of the main reasons that Boston was able to reach the Stanley Cup Final vs. St. Louis. As Claude Julien never seemed to figure out during his long tenure behind the Bruins' bench, Rask is not physically or mentally built for the grind of 65+ starts every season (who is?) and he would inevitably fall apart every season right before or during the playoffs. What great timing! Sweeney finally realized this and did his part by signing Halak back on July 1, 2018 as free agency opened. At 34 years old, Halak is actually a year older than Rask and he's been around the league forever (drafted in 2003 by Montreal and debuting with the Canadiens in the 2006-07 season).
Since this is Halak's fifth NHL club (Habs, Blues, Capitals, Islanders and Bruins), you want to label him a journeyman but that's not really the case. His career win-loss record is more than 100 games over .500 (272-167-58) and he even made the 2015 NHL All-Star Game with the Isles. Not bad for a ninth-round pick from Czechoslovakia. He also keeps himself in phenomenal shape which enables him to play nearly a 50/50 time share with Rask (37 starts last season and 29 this season). While Rask ended up playing every game in the playoffs in Boston's run to the Final last season, don't think that having a dependable veteran like Halak with him wasn't also an underrated significant factor. For once in his Bruins career as the No. 1 goaltender, Rask has a teammate that is nearly his equal therefore he doesn't have to shoulder such an unrealistic workload.
This extension is also insurance in case Rask gets hurt or his play dips (which happens to every goalie from time to time). Like pitching in baseball, you can never have enough good goaltending on your team and while Boston has some decent prospects coming up (most notably University of Maine's Jeremy Swayman who they recently signed to a pro deal), it's best to go with the known commodity at the moment. Any way that you look at it, Halak is probably the best backup goaltender in the NHL and that is something that is priceless for a Cup contender like the Black and Gold. Now let's please find a feasible way for the Bruins to get back on the ice in the near future since they had a really good chance to go far once again in the playoffs.
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