May 15, 2017
Malcolm Subban aims to make NHL leap
Malcolm Subban has appeared in just two NHL games since being selected 24th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. Still, Subban hopes to prove that he can be an NHL goaltender next season, knowing his résumé to date is not strong.
TSN.ca Staff
Malcolm Subban has appeared in just two NHL games since being selected 24th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins.
The 23-year-old was pulled each of those two starts, allowing a total of six goals over 16 shots. The first of the two came during the 2014-15 season when was pulled after 31 minutes, having allowed three goals on six shots against the St. Louis Blues. The second came in October against the Minnesota Wild, he lasted 30:36 before being pulled, taking his first career loss in the process.
Still, Subban hopes to prove that he can be an NHL goaltender next season, knowing his résumé to date is not strong.
“My two outings weren’t very good — they were terrible, to be honest,” Subban told the Boston Globe. “I am trying to prove to everyone here that I can play, that I deserve to play, and that I want to play in the NHL.”
The younger brother of P.K. Subban, and older brother of Jordan Subban, is currently backing up Zane McIntyre in the AHL playoffs with the Providence Bruins. He posted a .917 save percentage with a 2.41 goals against average in 32 games with Providence during the regular season.
McIntyre has started all 10 games for Providence in the playoffs after posting a sparkling .930 save percentage with a 2.03 goals against average in the postseason.
“Zane’s taken it now and has a chance to run with it,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told the Globe. “You’ve only got one net. I’m not going to just say, ‘Well, we’ve committed a first-round pick, Malcolm, you’re going back in, no matter what.”
Subban is slated to become a restricted free agent in July and wants to remain with the Bruins, despite his apparent place on the organizational depth chart behind McIntyre, Anton Khudobin and Tuuka Rask.
“Boston is the team that drafted me, and obviously it’s the team I want to play for,” said Subban. “When a team uses a first-round pick on you, it’s a pretty big deal in terms of an investment. I feel I kind of owe it to them and to the fans to show what I can do.”
Subban's 2016-17 season ended early when he took to a puck to the throat in warmups which fractured his larynx last February. He owned a .911 save percentage in 27 games at the AHL level that season before the injury.