Rask could end his comeback
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic: Two sources have said Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will be ending his comeback. After a January 24th game against the Ducks, he started feeling discomfort in his hip. He’s been discussing his future with his family. A decision to retire could come in the next few days.
“I give him all the credit in the world,” said one of the sources. “He did everything right. He just didn’t feel as good as he thought he would.”
Conor Ryan: Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on the report that Tuukka Rask could be retiring: “No — I think that’s for Tuukka to comment on his (status). I was told he wouldn’t practice this week. I don’t think that’s changing at all. So if he has something to say, I think I’ll leave it to him.”
How to activate Jack Eichel as a return draws near
TSN: Jack Eichel has been cleared for contact and according to Pierre LeBrun’s sources, he could be a couple of weeks away from returning. The Vegas Golden Knights obviously need to make some salary cap moves first.
“He could be back within the next couple of weeks, according to a source that I talked to on this day, but then of course if that’s the case, there is some cap ramifications as we know with Vegas needing to make room for Jack Eichel with a trade or two, so keep an eye on that.”
Cap Friendly: The Vegas Golden Knights will need to clear some salary to activate forward Jack Eichel and his $10 million off the LTIR. They are currently at $5,738,333 in available LTI Salary. Ways to do that are:
“1- Trade away +/- $4.3M in cap hit
2- Place another +/- $4.3M in cap hit on LTIR
3- Terminate +/- $4.3M in cap hit (unlikely)”
Cap Friendly: “No, simply acquiring players that are already on LTI (e.g. Andrew Shaw) would not work. The reason being is that they need to first fit that player under the cap by using the existing money that they have, and then place him on LTI. The result would be $0 in cap space gained.”
