Two Vezina trophies, a Conn Smythe, and one Stanley Cup banner that wouldn’t hang from the TD Garden rafters if not for his otherworldly play in the spring of 2011.
That, and 196 career wins and a .921 save-percentage, all during his eight-year tenure with the Boston Bruins, is the resume of the 38-year-old
Tim Thomas.
But now, with the former fan-favorited suspended by the club for his decision to sit the 2013 season out in order to spend more time with family, friends, and his faith, it’s time for the Michigan native to begin the next chapter of his turbulent career that’s included treks across Finland, the NHL, and down Commonwealth Ave. as a Stanley Cup champion.
The first stop? Uniondale, N.Y as a member of the New York Islanders.
Ending a ten-month long saga centered around the future of the Boston netminder, the Black-and-Gold made it official today with a trade that sends No. 30 to the Islanders in exchange for a conditional second round draft choice in either 2014 or 2015.
Depending on the goaltender’s decision to report to the club or any other club he’s traded to, the move comes with a big prize for the B’s, who ridded themselves of Thomas’ $5 million cap-hit while (potentially) gaining a draft choice for the Blue-and-Orange.
Giving Boston a ton of cap-space to add talent, the Bruins’ recent injury woes (namely to top-six forward
Brad Marchand) and the lack of a true third-line presence to join
Chris Kelly and
Rich Peverley would lead one to believe that an upgrade is on the way, but B’s general manager
Peter Chiarelli wasn’t eager to announce anything else just yet. “If there are good deals that come early, you have to be in the ballgame,” Chiarelli said. “We're in the ballgame now.”
While Chiarelli added that Thomas was “at peace” with the trade, Islander fans shouldn’t expect a change on the goaltender’s status this year as he’s still happily sitting this year out at home with his family in Colorado.
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