Untouchable Players on the Bruins Roster- Part Three

Picking up from where I left off the other day, here’s the final four players I consider to be untouchable on the Bruins roster. There are others that I believe should not be moved unless the return is just too good to pass up, but I wanted to narrow it down to ten I don’t should be moved under any circumstances. Again they are in no particular order, although these are probably the most controversial of the bunch. As I also said yesterday, some of you may disagree with some of the ones I name, particularly these ones, but remember, this is my opinion and my opinion only and you don’t have to agree with me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am not necessarily right or wrong here. Without further adieu, here are the final four untouchables!

1. Tuukka Rask, G. I may feel the wrath of the “Rask sucks” crowd for this one, but trust me when I say this, you are not getting a better goalie cheaper in the long term. Rask is the main and perhaps the only reason the Bruins made it to the Cup Finals this year, as he bailed them out and stole several games during the regular and postseasons. In 46 games played this season, he posted a 2.48 GAA and 0.912 SV%. Then, in 24 playoff games, he owned a 2.02 GAA and 0.934 SV%. Those are both strong numbers, and the playoff stats in particular are incredible. Without Rask, this team likely would not have gone very far this season. He’s a huge part of the team, and in my opinion, all the Rask haters just like to use him as an easy scapegoat, regardless of the team’s play in front of him. Yes, he has his bad games, but so do all goalies and players. Also, if you are one of those people who claim he doesn’t care, I invite you to google Tuukka Rask milk crates (or just meltdown), as you’ll see his passion, albeit in an ugly way. Even if you do believe me, still google it, you won’t regret it. But, moving on, trading Tuukka would be a huge mistake, not only from a performance standpoint, but because the team feeds off of him like all teams do of their goalies, and he is well-liked in the room. There is no one who would be available that would improve upon the situation enough to make it worth it. He needs to stay here for a long time, and hopefully they’ll have successor from their system ready by the end of his career, and he can transition into a mentoring role before eventually becoming the backup and retiring. He’s a phenomenal goalie, and it would only hurt the team to move on from him. 
2. Zdeno Chara, D. I know, I’m just asking to be called an idiot now, but hear me out. Chara is not the player he used to be, and age has slowed him down considerably. But, he’s still more than capable of playing, especially with a young player who can make up from what he lacks in speed and offense such as McAvoy. He played in 62 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced five goals and nine assists while being a +22. Chara then played in 23 playoff games for the team, over which he produced two goals and four assists while being a  +11. These numbers are quite impressive given his age and how tough the minutes he plays are, especially on the penalty kill. His on-ice skills could be improved upon elsewhere, but what he brings off the ice is the major reason he’s on this list. He has been the team’s captain since he joined the organization in the 2006 offseason, and the combination of he, Bergeon, and many of the others, makes for a leadership core that is one of if not the best in the NHL. He helps the young guys on and off the ice to become better players and people and teaches them what it means to be a pro and a Bruin. He ensures that everyone is treated equally, rookie or seasoned veteran, and that egos are checked at the door and everyone works hard. Chara’s also a warrior and will play through much anything, as evidenced by him taking a puck to the face and breaking his jaw, but him not missing a game during the Cup Final. For everything he has brought and continues to bring to the team, he deserves to retire a Bruin, I think it’s safe to say that will happen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he joins the front office once he calls it quits. If nothing else, he’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer whose number 33 will be hanging from the TD Garden rafters when all is said and done.
3. Brandon Carlo, D. You know you’ve struck gold when at 22, you’ve got a player who is already a phenomenal shutdown defender. He’s been that since he unexpectedly entered the league at 19, and will only continue to improve from here. You aren’t going to get many points out of him, but that isn’t a big deal for the Bruins. Normally, defensemen take longer to develop and tend to be suspect in their own zone for a little while, but that was far from the case with Carlo. He’s reliable in all defensive situations and is a great penalty killer. Also, he has a high hockey IQ and knows and accepts what type of player he is and always plays to his strengths because of that. He’s been durable over his short career, although he did miss the playoffs in his first two seasons due to unfortunate injuries sustained in the final or one of the final regular season games. Carlo appeared in 72 games for the Bruins last season, in which he produced two goals and eight assists. He then played in his first 24 career NHL playoff games, over which he produced two goals and two assists. He and Chara form an incredible penalty killing duo, and he is Chara’s clear successor as the team’s top defensive defenseman and penalty killer, if he isn’t already. He’s also a big body like Chara, and although he’s more of a gentle giant, he has shown he knows how to use his size to his advantage when necessary. It’s exciting to think that he will only improve from here given how good he already is, and he’s well-liked and respected in the room, which is always important. Finally, he can be had at a reasonable cap hit on a long-term deal, which is a huge bonus. Trading Carlo would be a big mistake for the Bruins, as even though he doesn’t provide much offense, he does chip in a little and every team needs a quality shutdown defenseman if they want to make it far. He certainly fits that description.
4. Urho Vaakanainen. D. I debated as to whether or not to include a prospect on this list, especially one who has only played in two career NHL games. But, Vaakanainen is the Bruins’ top prospect, forward or defense, and he looks to be ready for the NHL full-time. He didn’t look out of place in his two games last season, and probably would’ve stuck around longer had it not been for Mark Borowiecki’s dirty elbow to his head. Unfortunately, because of the glut of NHL defenseman the Bruins have, it’s unlikely that he makes the roster out of training camp even if he deserves to. But, you do not trade away your top young guy and expect it to end well. Vaakanainen looks to be the team’s future top-pair left handed defenseman, and thinking about a pairing of he and McAvoy gives me goosebumps. His skating is incredible, and he is a great puck-mover with offensive upside. He’s yet to record his first NHL point, but he did produced four goals and ten assists in 30 games in Providence last season. He also played well for Team Finland U20 at the World Junior Championships last year, appearing in seven games in which he tallied zero goals and four assists. He’s looking like he may have been a steal (if I can call at that given he was still pretty high) at 14th overall of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins, and it’s exciting to think about how good he will be. He and McAvoy would be a terrific top pairing, and he’ll be an important part of what is looking to be a terrific defense core for years to come. Under no circumstances should they trade a 20-year-old prospect with as much upside as he has, and that is why he made this list. This is especially true given any player obtained in return is likely a older and will decline a lot sooner, thus making the Bruins look really stupid by the end of it if not sooner. I think he’ll be a Bruin for a long time.

And that’s it I think! Let me know what you think and please feel free to discuss any of the choices with me whether you agree or disagree. I’m always willing to have a respectful discussion as to why or why not player should or should not have been included!