Regardless of his health, Gustavsson’s time as a Bruin is winding down. Several factors are contributing to the 31-year-old’s situation: the glut of serviceable goaltending within and outside the NHL, his expiring contract, and the development of the 22-year-old who occupied Gustavsson’s usual position in front of the bench door against Toronto Tuesday night.

One week earlier, the Bruins backup goalie was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital because of an elevated heart rate. Figuratively, every goalie under NHL assault endures this condition. Literally, it is not one that anybody wants to consider.

Jonas Gustavsson was cleared to participate in Tuesday’s morning skate at TD Garden, which is a very good thing.


Malcolm Subban, recalled from Providence on an emergency basis Monday, is beginning to ripen. Subban, the second goalie drafted in 2012 after Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, is coming off one of his best months as a professional. In eight January appearances, Subban went 7-0-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in the AHL.

If the younger brother of P.K. Subban continues to develop at this pace, he will be in the NHL for good – at Tuukka Rask’s side or elsewhere.

Physically, there are few goalies who can rival Subban’s gifts. The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound puckstopper is just one of the three freakish boys to rattle off the Subban factory line. Everybody knows about P.K.’s assets. Younger brother Jordan Subban, another defenseman, is a Vancouver prospect, making his way in Utica as a first-year pro.

Malcolm is just as athletic, if not more so, than his brothers. Bruins coach Claude Julien considers Subban one of the fastest goalies he’s ever seen. Subban darts around his territory with speed, quickness, power, and smoothness. At times, Subban’s athleticism has been more of a hindrance than an asset.


Today’s goalie coaches instruct their students to work economically. Spare and conservative movements open up fewer holes for shooters to target. By applying technique and positioning, goalies who make routine first stops are in better spots to punch out followup bids.

The objective of moving around the crease is to do so smoothly, not with lunges or violent pushes. Once a goalie settles on his pads, he should stay down instead of popping back up and creating vacancies for pucks to slip through.

Subban was all over the place during his first two pro seasons. He would do everything he could to flash in front of the first shot. This left him in bad places if he didn’t control the initial shot. Even AHL shooters were taking advantage of his aggressive play.

Last season, Subban suffered one of the biggest setbacks of his career. In February, the Bruins recalled him after losing confidence in backup Niklas Svedberg. Subban was originally scheduled to make his career debut against Edmonton on Feb. 18. But with the Bruins desperate for points, they started Rask instead. The Bruins lost to the Oilers in a shootout, 4-3.

Two nights later, they asked Subban to stop a five-game losing streak. It was one of the organization’s worst decisions of the year.

Subban’s task was to stare down the powerful Blues. He wasn’t up to the job. A frazzled Subban waved at three straight shots in the second period. Julien was forced to hook the rookie and play Rask when the ace required a breather. The Bruins returned Subban to Providence the next day.


As a third-year pro, Subban has rebounded from the stumble and incorporated calmness into his approach. He’s playing deeper in his crease. He’s reducing the back-door options opponents used to find. He’s trusting his smarts as well as his body.

Subban’s poise is showing in his performance. The so-so goals that were a bugaboo have been reduced. The peaks-and-valleys play is rounding into more even form. Mentally, Subban is stronger than ever.

“I feel like I’ve matured a lot just with my play on and off the ice,” Subban said. “That’s being a better professional, focusing on the little things of the game. My play’s matured a lot. Just working on my technique, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better with that.”

Subban has a long list of peers who have experienced a similar development curve, starting with the coworker now pocketing $7 million annually. As a first-year pro, Rask had his lapses. They bled into his second season in Providence.

Rask temporarily swiped the starting job in Boston in 2009-10, partly because of Tim Thomas’s creaky hip. But he didn’t become a permanent NHL starter until he was 25 years old. Now he’s one of the best goalies in the league.

In that way, Subban is ahead of his fellow first-round pick. Once Gustavsson is cleared for game play, Subban will return to Providence, where he hopes to continue as the ace. If that happens, his stay in the AHL will not last much longer.


Gustavsson (9-3-1, 2.38 GAA, .915 save percentage) has been OK. But not good enough to merit an extension.

The Bruins could proceed in two ways. They could give the backup job to Subban, either down the stretch or at the start of next year. Or they could find a buyer for Subban and flip him for help on defense or wing.

Subban’s current visit to the NHL is temporary. The next one will not be so short.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.