POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS FOR POPPA BEAR
One of the more bizarre stories of the offseason that predated lockout shenanigans was goalie Tim Thomas choosing to sit out the last season of his contract with the Boston Bruins. It's hard to blame Thomas, 39, for wanting to spend more time with his family, especially with looming uncertainty surrounding the status of the upcoming season, but it didn't make it any less peculiar of a decision. Now, with the Bruins in a best-of-three series for the Stanley Cup with stellar goaltending from Tuukka Rask, it is easy to forget that Thomas ditched the only franchise to really give him a legitimate chance as a starter in the NHL.
At the time of his departure, though, Thomas pointed out that this was not a retirement, and he had every intention of returning to hockey in 2013-14. Whether or not he sticks to that or not has yet to be seen, but if he does, he will be an unrestricted free agent. So with Poppa Bear Thomas potentially on the market this summer, what teams would be interested in his adding his services?
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Islanders made their interest in the near-40-year old netminder clear when they made a deal to acquire his rights from the Bruins earlier in the year. They were well aware of his sabbatical status, but they felt he was worth a conditional second round pick if he were to change his mind. This also means they can negotiate a deal with Thomas before June 5th, a luxury other potential suitors will not have.
Their starting goalie from last season, Evgeni Nabokov, is far past his prime and hitting free agency. Isles GM Garth Snow may view Thomas as a viable short-term replacement for Nabby, and then address the future of their goaltending at a later date (a strategy I would not recommend, but then again, it is the Islanders.) Even if Nabokov did re-up on Long Island, they have enough roster flexibility to give Thomas an opportunity since they can move back-up Anders Nilsson freely between the AHL and the big club without fear of losing him on waivers.
Rumblings have indicated that the Islanders are in the hunt for younger goalies this summer, but if they miss out on those players, it would not be surprising to see them turn to Tim Thomas as Plan B.
MINNESOTA WILD
Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota's long-time starter, is headed to free agency. He had a respectable season for his standards last year, and carried a $6 million cap-hit. As a 35-year old, the next team that signs him will be charged for his salary against the cap even if he retires, as per the new collective bargaining agreement. With that rule in mind, GM Chuck Fletcher and the Wild may be tentative to pay him that kind of money for an extended term. So if Backstrom leaves the State of Hockey and the Wild miss out on Jonathan Bernier, Tim Thomas could be brought in as an "experiment" of sorts to replace him.
If his conditioning is up to snuff, Thomas' compete level could earn him the starting gig in Minnesota. If he doesn't still have it, however, they wouldn't be doomed. The Wild have a reliable goalie in Josh Harding that would assume the starting role, a guy many people thought could take a starting role elsewhere in the NHL before he re-signed in the summer of 2012.
Harding did have one of his poorer seasons in the NHL last year, but he also has now had more time to adjust to life as a pro athlete after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This familiarity with how his life has changed will likely help him better prepare for the upcoming campaign, giving Wild the insurance they want if they are to take a chance on Thomas.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Because let's be real, the Flyers try to sign everyone they can get their hands on.
PHOENIX(?) COYOTES
If Mike Smith isn't wearing sedona red next season, they Coyotes will have to turn to Jason Labarbera to be their starting goalie. Labarbera just isn't NHL no. 1 goalie mater- wait, what's that? Labarbera is a UFA this summer, too? Uh-oh. In fact, all three goalies that had at least one start for Phoenix last season (Smith, Labarbera, and Chad Johnson) are all hitting free agency. That means in the event of losing their top three goalies to free agency, Phoenix's de facto starter for next season would be Mark Visentin. Visentin was a first round pick in 2010, but is nowhere near ready to assume that kind of role in the NHL right now..
Basically, Phoenix has nothing to lose by signing Thomas. Even if he fails, and retires, they have more than enough cap flexibility to take the penalty for the rest of the season (or two). Phoenix is also an attractive market to live in, especially for someone with Thomas' tastes, even if it is a brief residence. Yotes GM Don Maloney is well aware of the issues that could be facing his club, and I wouldn't be shocked for him to call Tim Thomas in an attempt to solve any problems in goal.
The issue for any team signing Thomas will be the new CBA's rule that was alluded to earlier. With the salary cap going down from last year, team's will be very weary of signing a 39-year old goalie who could come back only to decide he wants to retire for good. The actual worth of his contract won't be the issue, the length of term will be the biggest road block to anything getting done with Thomas. If he wants more than a one-year deal, he's not going to garner much interest. If he's willing to put pen to paper on a one-year stint, or even maybe a tryout contract, you can bet the aforementioned clubs will have his agent's number on speed dial this summer.
One of the more bizarre stories of the offseason that predated lockout shenanigans was goalie Tim Thomas choosing to sit out the last season of his contract with the Boston Bruins. It's hard to blame Thomas, 39, for wanting to spend more time with his family, especially with looming uncertainty surrounding the status of the upcoming season, but it didn't make it any less peculiar of a decision. Now, with the Bruins in a best-of-three series for the Stanley Cup with stellar goaltending from Tuukka Rask, it is easy to forget that Thomas ditched the only franchise to really give him a legitimate chance as a starter in the NHL.
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| Tim Thomas wrastles in front with the Great Eight. (AP Photo/Nick Wass) |
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
The Islanders made their interest in the near-40-year old netminder clear when they made a deal to acquire his rights from the Bruins earlier in the year. They were well aware of his sabbatical status, but they felt he was worth a conditional second round pick if he were to change his mind. This also means they can negotiate a deal with Thomas before June 5th, a luxury other potential suitors will not have.
Their starting goalie from last season, Evgeni Nabokov, is far past his prime and hitting free agency. Isles GM Garth Snow may view Thomas as a viable short-term replacement for Nabby, and then address the future of their goaltending at a later date (a strategy I would not recommend, but then again, it is the Islanders.) Even if Nabokov did re-up on Long Island, they have enough roster flexibility to give Thomas an opportunity since they can move back-up Anders Nilsson freely between the AHL and the big club without fear of losing him on waivers.
Rumblings have indicated that the Islanders are in the hunt for younger goalies this summer, but if they miss out on those players, it would not be surprising to see them turn to Tim Thomas as Plan B.
MINNESOTA WILD
Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota's long-time starter, is headed to free agency. He had a respectable season for his standards last year, and carried a $6 million cap-hit. As a 35-year old, the next team that signs him will be charged for his salary against the cap even if he retires, as per the new collective bargaining agreement. With that rule in mind, GM Chuck Fletcher and the Wild may be tentative to pay him that kind of money for an extended term. So if Backstrom leaves the State of Hockey and the Wild miss out on Jonathan Bernier, Tim Thomas could be brought in as an "experiment" of sorts to replace him.
If his conditioning is up to snuff, Thomas' compete level could earn him the starting gig in Minnesota. If he doesn't still have it, however, they wouldn't be doomed. The Wild have a reliable goalie in Josh Harding that would assume the starting role, a guy many people thought could take a starting role elsewhere in the NHL before he re-signed in the summer of 2012.
Harding did have one of his poorer seasons in the NHL last year, but he also has now had more time to adjust to life as a pro athlete after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This familiarity with how his life has changed will likely help him better prepare for the upcoming campaign, giving Wild the insurance they want if they are to take a chance on Thomas.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Because let's be real, the Flyers try to sign everyone they can get their hands on.
PHOENIX(?) COYOTES
If Mike Smith isn't wearing sedona red next season, they Coyotes will have to turn to Jason Labarbera to be their starting goalie. Labarbera just isn't NHL no. 1 goalie mater- wait, what's that? Labarbera is a UFA this summer, too? Uh-oh. In fact, all three goalies that had at least one start for Phoenix last season (Smith, Labarbera, and Chad Johnson) are all hitting free agency. That means in the event of losing their top three goalies to free agency, Phoenix's de facto starter for next season would be Mark Visentin. Visentin was a first round pick in 2010, but is nowhere near ready to assume that kind of role in the NHL right now..
Basically, Phoenix has nothing to lose by signing Thomas. Even if he fails, and retires, they have more than enough cap flexibility to take the penalty for the rest of the season (or two). Phoenix is also an attractive market to live in, especially for someone with Thomas' tastes, even if it is a brief residence. Yotes GM Don Maloney is well aware of the issues that could be facing his club, and I wouldn't be shocked for him to call Tim Thomas in an attempt to solve any problems in goal.
The issue for any team signing Thomas will be the new CBA's rule that was alluded to earlier. With the salary cap going down from last year, team's will be very weary of signing a 39-year old goalie who could come back only to decide he wants to retire for good. The actual worth of his contract won't be the issue, the length of term will be the biggest road block to anything getting done with Thomas. If he wants more than a one-year deal, he's not going to garner much interest. If he's willing to put pen to paper on a one-year stint, or even maybe a tryout contract, you can bet the aforementioned clubs will have his agent's number on speed dial this summer.
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| (Getty Images/Christian Petersen) |
