Thomas Screws Over Bruins?!?

1) The news today that Tim Thomas is going to sit out the 2012-2013 season has got to piss off "The Bruin Nation".  Certainly management has every right to be totally teed off at the former Conn Smythe/Vezina Trophy winner's announcement that he is going to forgo playing next season to, as he put it..." it is time to put my time and energies into those areas and relationships that I have neglected. That is why at this time I feel the most important thing I can do in my life is to reconnect with the three F's. "Friends, Family, and Faith...."  OK, for the record we are Thomas supporters and were not one of the left-wing hoard of media/bloggers who were all over Thomas for his statement to stay home from the team White House visit. That said there is almost no way we can support this move. UNLESS there is a real pressing personal matter that we are currently not privy to. If his marriage was at stake. If he had a very ill child, etc we could excuse the move, but without that information we can NOT.

2) So some ask, Faux Isn't Thomas giving the team plenty of notice to make other arrangements unlike that selfish move by Scott Niedermayer who sat on his hands until the last possible minute before deciding to play/retire?  Well there are significant differences folks. The most important is the salary cap AND his team mate/fellow goalie Tuukka Rask. 

• With regard to the cap. Because Thomas' current contract was signed after he turned 35 it is locked into the Bruins cap number regardless of whether he plays or not.  So in essence Thomas is screwing the Bruins out of 5 million in salary cap space.
• By making the announcement publicly now he eliminates the Bruins chance at dealing him. Who (besides maybe the Islanders) would trade for a player to merely increase their cap hit? 
• With regard to Rask, Tuukka should send Thomas a % of his next contract. The 25 year old Finn is a RFA who now has increased his value 10 fold that he appears to be the only NHL goalie on the Bruins roster.  Perhaps he would have had to settle for a modest raise, but now his agent can pay hard ball (as much as a RFA can) and demand starting goalie money of  > than 3 mil/season. A nice pay raise from the 1.5 he made last season. So the Bruins would in essence be paying starters money to 2 goalies!

3) The 38-year-old went 35-19-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage this past season. In the playoffs, he had a 2.14 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Thomas won the 2009 and 2011 Vezina Trophy, and has a 196-121-45 record and 2.48 GAA in 378 career games with the Bruins. In 50 postseason games, he holds a 29-21 mark with a 2.07 GAA. Thomas won the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy after leading Boston to its first Stanley Cup title since 1972.  Its too bad the Flint Michigan native has tarnished his image so badly with this move.  Again we hold out that its possible Thomas has a legit reason for this move, but until its known/confirmed there is little doubt the result of his actions Dicked his (former) team!