Halak Packs for Boston

The Boston Bruins were in need of a new backup goalie behind Tuukka Rask, as they had already seen Anton Khudobin head to Dallas through free agency on Sunday, so they added veteran Slovak keeper Jaroslav Halak, signing him to a 2-year deal, worth $5.5 million.

Halak's last few seasons with the Islanders had been rocky, at best, but he was able to put up some points for his squad, winning 20 games and registering 42 hockey pool points in 54 appearances in 2018.  That was only good enough for 30th among all goalies in hockey pool points, so being relegated to more of a backup role may suit him a little bit better.

The Bruins are already situated with a pretty good core group of players, some of which have been revitalized of late, which led to a strong run near the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.  The addition of Halak might not be the sort of thing that could get them over the hump of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it could get them into a better position, heading into the playoffs, if they can secure a couple more backup wins.