BOSTON -- Tuukka Rask is a free agent. Tim Thomas has one more year left on his current contract with the Bruins.
So when asked, during the team's break-up day at the TD Garden on Friday, whether or not he still wanted to return to Boston if Thomas wasn't traded, Rask said he still wants to re-sign with the B's.
"I mean, I think you guys know the answer to that question," said Rask. "I've always said that I like it here, and I want to come back.
"I think there's a clear plan," said Rask about his upcoming contract negotiations. "I think everybody's been talking about it for a long time now. It's not about the money. It's more about what's good for everybody. I've always said I liked to be here. I think we have a great group of guys and the organization is great, so I don't see why anybody wouldn't want to be here."
Rask said him and Thomas work well together, and hold an "honest competition" for playing time, when both are healthy.
"We've never had a problem with it, because I think Timmy's got one more year on his contract or something," said Rask. "We just work hard with each other, and we compete against each other. But at the end of the day, it's just who's at his best place. It's a pretty honest competition. So we never have a problem."
As far as Rask's health is concerned, he returned from an abdominalgroin injury for Game 6 against the Washington Capitals, and served as Thomas' backup goaltender for the final two games of the first-round playoff series.
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He said he wouldn't have returned as a backup if he wasn't 100 percent. But Rask did say that he may be a little more cautious with his body in the future, in order to prevent those types of injuries.
"I felt good before that happened," said Rask. "It just popped. But I guess, when these things happen, you kind of have different urgency on things. You try to feel your body and adjust to your body a little bit more in different ways.
"Looking back, I kind of felt a little tight. But I didn't think it was anything major. But maybe next time, if I feel that way, I'll just stay back and take a day off or something."