While the NHL waits on a new CBA, the players aren’t sticking around. A number of players are opting to play overseas while they wait it out. Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins is the latest to announce he is leaving. He will sign with the HC Plzen of the Czech Republic.

After Bruin’s goalie Tim Thomas decided to take a year off from hockey, Rask was on track to be the full-time starter this year. Last season he played 23 games with a final record of 11-8-3, a .929 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against average. He signed a one-year contract with the Bruins this past June worth $3.5 million.

A number of players have also decided to play in the Czech Republic. One of them is the Bruins’ Andrew Ference. Jaromir Jagr, Ales Hemksy, Ondrej Pavelec and Michal Neuvirth will also play there.

Rask is the eighth Boston player to decide to head over seas. Defenseman for the Bruins, Dennis Seidenberg confirmed that he will be joining Addler Mannheim of the German League. Also, forward Rich Peverly will be playing for JYPin in Finland. Tyler Seguin will play in Switzerland and Anton Khodobin will be in Russia. David Krejci is also likely to make a deal to play in Russia.

Tags: Boston Bruins, NHL, Tuukka Rask