BOSTON

Tuukka Rask is one of the Boston Bruins’ three most important players. Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron are the others.

Rask’s new contract reflects his standing alongside the captain and alternate captain.

On Wednesday, Rask agreed to an eight-year, $56 million bonanza. Rask’s $7 million annual cap hit is the largest on the team, a shade over Chara’s $6,916,667. The eightyear term is the maximum allowed for a team to re-sign its own players.

Rask was a restricted free agent. The 26-year-old goalie would have become an unrestricted free agent after 2013- 14.

Rask was eligible for arbitration. Had Rask gone to arbitration, he could have nabbed an even higher annual payday.

Rask is tied with Pekka Rinne for the highest annual cap hit among NHL goalies. Nashville signed Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million contract. Henrik Lundqvist, who will reach UFA status after 2013-14, could edge past their salaries with his next contract.

For Rask, the megadeal underscores that he and agent Bill Zito made the right call last summer by signing a one-year, $3.5 million extension. At the time, the Bruins wanted to lock up Rask to a multiyear deal. But Rask bet on himself by taking the temporary bridge extension.

In his first crack at being the ace from start to finish, Rask proved he is one of the NHL’s elite goalies. During the regular season, Rask went 19-10-5 with a 2.00 goalsagainst average and a .929 save percentage. Rask posted an NHL-leading five shutouts.

Rask made a strong push for the Conn Smythe Trophy because of his postseason performance. Rask went 14-8 with a 1.88 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Rask recorded three shutouts, two of which took place during the second-round sweep of the explosive Penguins.

The contract reflects the Bruins’ belief that Rask’s best performance is yet to come. Rask is four years younger than Rinne.

Internationally, Rask will fight Rinne for ownership of Finland’s net for several Olympic cycles, including the upcoming 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Rask was originally Toronto’s first-round pick in 2005. But the Bruins pulled off a bank job when swiping Rask from the Maple Leafs for Andrew Raycroft on June 24, 2006. At the time, the Bruins had hired Chiarelli from Ottawa. But Chiarelli was still under Ottawa’s employment. Interim GM Jeff Gorton was at the Boston helm when the Bruins acquired Rask.

Rask will most likely be backed up by veteran Chad Johnson. The Bruins signed the ex-Phoenix netminder to a one-year, $600,000 contract last Friday. On the same day, former backup Anton Khudobin signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with Carolina. Prospects Niklas Svedberg and Malcolm Subban project to be the two Providence goalies.

The Bruins are now over the $64.3 million. The Bruins do not have to be under the ceiling until the day after the preseason concludes.