According to Pierre Lebrun of espn.com, the Bruins are reportedly discussing an extension with 34-year-old netminder Tim Thomas.
Tim Thomas
The Bruins are talking contract extension for No. 1 goalie Tim Thomas. He's an unrestricted free agent July 1 and earning only $1.1 million this season.
It has long been speculated, especially throughout Manny Fernandez extended stay on the injured list last year, that Thomas would be the likely candidate to stick around and mentor Tuukka Rask after this season.
One could debate many factors endlessly:
How many years? At how much?
Will he take a discount to play for a legitimate cup contender and the organization that finally gave him a shot at the NHL?
Will he still be as effective in each successive season?
Is Tuukka ready for full-time duty or are we paying Thomas to stick around as the main man while progressively increasing Rask's ice time?
One question I'd like to bring to the forefront is how would Thomas' signing of an extension at this point of the season affect Manny Fernandez? We've all read about and occasionally witnessed signs of mental fragility in the B's netminder. Fernandez has been lights out since his first start back on October 11th in his former stopping ground Minnesota (his only loss in regulation).
At 8-1-1 with a 2.09 GAA and .926 Sv%, might Fernandez perceive the endorsement of Thomas as a potential sign of doubt in his abilities from Bruins management? With the prospect of playing in Boston beyond this season essentially dead, would the mid-season signing take a little wind out of #35's sails?
I'd like to tell you that the Bruins current opportunity to have two goaltenders finish the season in the top 10 in GAA (Thomas currently #1, Fernandez #7) would be an extremely rare feat. Much to my surprise, four teams have done so since 1999-2000:
2000-2001: Once upon a time David Aebischer was a young promising goaltender. In 00-01 he was superb in giving more than the occasional night off for perennial Vezina candidate Patrick Roy. Aebischer appeared in 26 games, and a healthy, rested Roy backstopped the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup victory.
2002-2003: Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson were quite the dynamic duo for the Wild. Coach Jacques Lemaire platooned the two throughout the regular season. Fernandez appeared in 35 games while the older, more experienced Roloson grabbed the reigns and led Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals where their magical run ended against eventual Conn Smythe Winner Jean Sebastien Giguere.
2006-2007: Vesa Toskala came to the Sharks' rescue the previous season when Evgeni Nabokov succumbed to injury. In 06-07 the two shared time between the pipes, with Toskala appearing in 38 games in which he compiled a 26-10-1 record. The Sharks went with Nabokov in the playoffs, bowing out in the 2nd round yet again at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.
2007-2008: 17 years after making his NHL debut, Dominik Hasek still remained among the NHL's elite netminders in his final season. Both he and Chris Osgood split time evenly in the regular season, leading Detroit to yet another President's Trophy. Hasek opened the playoffs as the starter, but after four subpar showings against the 8th seeded Predators, Coach Mike Babcock turned to Osgood who remained in net from there on out as the Wings eventually defeated Pittsburgh in game six of the Finals.
With Thomas and Fernandez playing at the level that they are, why even fathom doing something to tinker with what has proven to be a remarkably successful recipe for success?
Yes, Manny should have the emotional fortitude to continue his outstanding run, even if Thomas does ink a multi-year pact to stay in black and gold. This team seems to have genuinely embraced him over the last few months, and I highly doubt he'd risk losing focus and letting everyone in the dressing room down. Plus, let's not forget, whether he's in the B's plans or not, he's still playing to impress someone enough to sign him in the offseason.
So even if it's for the most selfish of reasons, particularly the almighty dollar, Fernandez can ill afford to squander his opportunity to prove his worthiness to the B's or any NHL organization with a proven, experienced netminder on their offseason radar.
And for those of you advocating using Fernandez as a trade chip when the deadline approaches, is it really worth it? While some may say that Bob Gainey was fleeced when Cristobal Huet only yielded a return of a 2nd round pick last spring, his biggest folly was leaving the Habs with two green goaltenders in Price and Halak.
For argument's sake, lets say Boston's duo remains red hot heading toward the deadline. What commodity would the Bruins most be inclined to pursue in exchange for Fernandez? A high draft pick? A stud defenseman? Is a potential rent-a-goalie going to fetch a 1st rounder, a Jay Bouwmeester, a Shea Weber? Not on your life.
But if the B's were to find a suitor with a tempting offer, and Tuukka takes Manny's spot on the depth chart, what if he stinks up the joint? What if the B's are fighting for prime playoff positioning, for home ice, and they've got an unreliable backup on their hands? Rask, in my eyes, is anything but a lock at this point. He flamed out in the 2nd round of last year's AHL playoffs and has a pedestrian 2.62 GAA so far this season.
In all likelihood this would make the second half of the season look eerily like a rerun of 2006-2007 when Dave Lewis essentially rode Thomas into the ground. Why take such a risk? Isn't this what we're trying to avoid? Isn't this why we were so thankful for the remarkable play of Alex Auld last year?
Isn't this why we should be thankful to have Manny Fernandez?
Does PJ No Longer Have a Role?
Back in PJ Axelsson's pre-lockout heyday, there was no greater annual snubbing when it came to the Selke Trophy nominees than #11 in Black and Gold. Axelsson had a clearly defined role on a potent checking line alongside center Brian Rolston, and he executed it night-in and night-out to perfection. The duo, alongside wingers including Rob Zamuner and later Martin Lapointe, were employed with the top priority of shutting down the opposing team's top offensive unit.
Not only were they consistently able to shadow and shutdown the likes of Jaromir Jagr and other assorted game-breakers, the two also had offensive pop during their time together. Axelsson netted a career high 17 goals in 2002-2003, while Rolston led the league with 9 shorties in 2001-2002 and was consistently a scoring threat while the opposition tried to enjoy the man-advantage.
Back then, Axelsson wasn't just penciled in on a line on the Bruins roster, his name was carved in stone. It was so simple: #11 - LW, 3rd Line. Now a days, things are far more murky then they are clear when it comes to finding the appropriate spot for the longest-tenured Bruin.
Miscast as a first liner since the lockout, Axelsson somehow returned to fill the same role alongside Marc Savard and newcomer Michael Ryder. But the experiment was short lived and the trio was broken up. The two wingers were sent to the 2nd line alongside Patrice Bergeron while Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel moved up to play alongside Savard.
Since then, Chuck Kobasew has returned and moved up to the RW spot with Patrice and PJ while Ryder has moved down to David Krejci's line and has clicked with his new centerman and rookie Blake Wheeler.
With the B's rolling 3 genuine scoring lines, and no clearly defined checking line, where does a player like Axelsson go? The left wing has been a statistical hindrance for Bergeron. While Bergeron may still be working his way back to form, isn't it rather bizarre that the team's (arguably) best all around player, as defensively responsible as they come, is merely +1 on the season? This being a season in which the Bruins have, thanks to complete 5-on-5 dominance, five forwards at a +10 rating or higher. In the last ten games, Bergeron has 5 points and a -4 rating.
In the meantime since defecting from Axelsson's line, Ryder has been red hot (3g, 2a, +7 in his last 4 games). And if you go back a little further, Savard is +9 in his last 11 (+15 in 26gp this year), playing all of the eleven with his new linemates. So, essentially, in Axelsson's attempt to defensively shore up each scoring line he finds himself on, he's done little to nothing offensively and plummeted his linemates +/- rating. Axelsson is currently a team worst -4.
So if there's no place for #11 in the top 9, is the 4th line where he belongs? Would you define PJ as an energy guy? Does he come off as the rough and tumble type?
Marco Sturm has returned to practice, and with his re-entry into the lineup imminent, how does Claude Julien go about things? When Kobasew first came back, Claude elected to have the winger get his feet wet on the 4th line alongside Stephane Yelle and Shawn Thornton. The trio was nothing short of astounding, especially offensively (combining for 7 points in the 6-1 win over Montreal).
Nokelainen is undoubtedly the likely candidate for the press box. But while he has failed to impress as much as he did last year, who fits better on the 4th line?
For a while Axelsson had the rare distinction of simultaneously being the most overrated AND the most underrated player on the Bruins. The spectrum of opinions among fans has long been a country mile wide.
So how will this all pan out?
Will Axelsson sit tight on the 2nd line? Marco Sturm isn't going to get paid $3.5m to be a 4th liner.
Might PJ settle in nicely on the 4th line? Yelle is certainly also of the defense-first skill-set, so there's certainly potential for them to gel alongside Shawn Thornton.
Could Axelsson be shipped out? He certainly has value, especially if placed in the right role.
It seems that in Boston, however, such a role no longer exists.
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