By: Andrew Thompson Twitter: @godwentwhoops
The Boston Bruins found themselves back in the playoffs last season after a two-year drought. One of the biggest reasons why the B’s found themselves back in the playoff hunt was their goaltending. (OK, it was entirely Tuukka Rask for the first half of the season, and mostly him for the second half.)
The Bruins had already locked up both Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin for next season. But the B’s were going to need some insurance. The Bruins ugly start to the season showed just how badly they were going to need quality goaltending to help back of Rask and Khudboin in case of injury.
The Bruins organization locked up their goaltenders today by signing both Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban to two-year, two-way contracts. Both contracts are worth a very modest $650,000 at the NHL level.
In all honesty, Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban didn’t have their best NHL starts last season. (McIntyre was 0-4-1, with a 3.97 GAA and a .858 save percentage. Subban was 0-1, with a 5.81 GAA and a .813 save percentage.) But they’ve had another season in the AHL to get better and be ready for their next call up to the big leagues.
McIntyre shined between the pipes for Providence last season. He had a 21-6-1 record with a 2.03 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He was the best AHL goaltender in goals against and second in save percentage. He was tapped to be a goalie in the 2017 AHL All-Star game and was part of the second team of AHL All-Stars.
Subban went 11-14-1 and last season for Providence putting up a decent 2.41 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
Both players will surely be invited to the Bruins training camp in September. They’ll both be given a shot to prove they can steal the number two job away from Khudobin. With Daniel Vladar coming up in the ranks of the Bruins goalie depth, the B’s will surely encourage both of them to try for the number two job. At the moment, McIntyre and Subban are the one-two combo for Providence next season.
Zane McIntyre will likely see several games in Boston this season. At the moment, he looks to be the next number two goaltender for Boston once Khudobin’s contract is up. Malcolm Subban continues to improve and it’s not outside the realm of reason to see the B’s put him the net a few times as well.
The Bruins appear to be locked in to the youth movement next year, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that included a goaltender.
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