Dont read it as a signal of anything positive or negative, but the first of the overseas Bruins players will be returning from Europe.
According to NOVA sport TV reporter Roman Jedlicka, goaltender Tuukka Rask will play his final game in between the pipes for HC Plzen of the Czech League on Friday and then will return to Boston to wait for the lockout to end.
The 25-year-old Finnish goalie has been dominant in the Czech League while putting up a 6-2 record along with a 1.86 goals against average and .936 save percentage while backstopping the first place team. He had an early health scare when he felt a groin tweak in his first game in the Czech League, but has been 100 percent healthy and outstanding between the pipes since then.
The Bruins will still boast 10 players in Europe when Rask does make his way back to Boston, and sources have indicated that Gregory Campbell has been in talks with a Czech League team over the last few weeks.
The dominant, healthy play from Rask is a good thing for player and team once the NHL lockout ends and regular season games begin: the goaltender inked a one-year, 3.5 million deal with the Bruins and needs to prove to the organization that hes able to be the franchise goaltender capable of handling a 55-65 game workload while maintaining health and consistency.
And if the lockout ends in the next couple of weeks as the NHL and NHLPA continue their war against each other, then you can accuse the Bs goaltender of coming home via the benefit of inside information.