At the opening of the free agent market on July 1, the Boston Bruins answered
one of their more pressing questions heading into next season. With Anton
Khudobin';s strong season, the Bruins weren';t surprised to see last season';s
trusty backup move on for some additional money (he actually doubled his
paycheck and then some, earning a raise from $1.2 million to $2.5 million) with
 his move to Dallas.

As a result, the Bruins had to fill the hole left by their backup netminder-a
role that is oftentimes overlooked in hockey, but can be a difference-maker
over the course of a season. To fill that gap, the B';s turned to veteran
goaltender Jaroslav Halak, signing the 33-year-old to a two-year contract
worth $2.75 million annually.Jaroslav Halak will serve as Boston';s backup
behind Tuukka Rask to start the season. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

For many in the Bruins community, the signing was a good move (although some
may say it was a tad expensive). Halak has proven himself to be a strong NHL
goaltender, and still remains a very viable backup option for next season. For
25-year-old Bruins goaltending hopeful Zany McIntyre, however, the signing of
Halak likely signifies a lesser role than he was hoping for with Boston next
season.McIntyre';s Track Record

McIntyre, a former standout at the University of North Dakota, has played three
 seasons in the Bruins organization, during which he';s spent the majority of
his time with Providence, Boston';s AHL affiliate. Last season, he played 47
games with the P-Bruins (totaling 2734 minutes), and posted a pretty decent
stat line-a .914 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average. Both of
those numbers were less enviable than his 2016-17 season, in which he led all
AHL netminders with a .930 save percentage and ranked second in goals-against
average, coming in at 2.01.

McIntyre made no appearances at the NHL level last season and has only taken
the ice on the big stage eight times in his career (all in 2016-17). In that
limited time, he posted a .858 save percentage and 3.97 goals-against average
in 336 minutes of NHL action. He';s only started three games at the NHL level,
with the remainder of his appearances coming in relief.

Ultimately, McIntyre has shown flashes of very strong goaltending at points.
That being said, his stats aren';t quite at the level that the Bruins would
like should they wish to pull him up.Will McIntyre Get a Call-up?

Last season was a bit disappointing for McIntyre. The young netminder';s stats
tailed off a bit from the year before, appearing as a stunt in the growth that
he had shown from the year prior. As a result, McIntyre didn';t get a single
look at NHL action last season.McIntyre has shown flashes of the goaltender he
can be, but he needs to prove he can perform consistently to earn a backup
role. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

Of course, this isn';t the end of the world. Goaltenders famously develop later
 than skaters do, so it';s far too early to pull the plug on McIntyre, who
could very well still develop into a strong NHL goaltender. Take a look at
Malcolm Subban, who, after years of struggling with the Bruins organization,
put forth a very strong campaign with the Vegas Golden Knights this season.
That being said, with several other goaltending prospects working their way
through the Bruins system, McIntyre really needs to prove that he';s worth
keeping around this season.

It';s clear that the Grand Forks, North Dakota native won';t be Boston';s
backup when the season gets underway this fall, but that doesn';t mean he
won';t get a shot later in the year. If McIntyre starts the season on a good
note, I think it';s likely that the Bruins would give him a look or two after
more than a year away from NHL action.

And of course, the health of Tuukka Rask and Halak will also play a role-an
injury to either goaltender could present an unexpected opportunity for the
McIntyre. In order to earn that opportunity, though, he needs to look more like
 the goaltender that Providence saw in 2016-17.

McIntyre has the skill that is necessary to compete at a very high level-he
just needs to find the consistency to keep himself there. If he can demonstrate
 consistently strong goaltending for Providence this season, then I';d expect
him to get another look from the Bruins this year, even if it is limited.

The post Will Bruins Give McIntyre Minutes? appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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