Timmy Thomas
 

Any chance Tim Thomas signs with a NHL team next season or do you think his time has come and gone?

Considering how well he's played over the past couple of seasons, I think a team will definitely take him. I don't see Boston wanting him back, especially if Rask plays as well as expected. So I'd expect a trade to another team. Perhaps even a contender before this year's playoffs (assuming the season resumes).

Depends on how much bear hunting the guy has done during the lockout.

Something tells me he's in for at least another year. I think he's got his eye on a roster spot for the next winter Olympics.

If it's not detrimental to your team to stash him, or if you're in a deep league and in dire need of goaltending and can acquire him extremely cheap then you could take a flyer. I wouldn't though. Just feels to me like his heads not in the game anymore and who knows how much rust there will be after a full year off. Not to mention he'd need a contract and would have to put all that sideshow crap behind him.

Bondon took the words out of my mouth. I can't see a team wanting to take a chance on a 38 year old goalie who has sat out a season ( assuming the NHL lockout lasts the season ) or even 1/2 a season. That's not even taking into account all of his other baggage and I'm sure he would have a short list of what teams he consider playing for.

I just hope that everything is OK with him. If he does come back I can't see him being bad. He would probably be at least an average fantasy #1 goalie.

Maybe something came up family wise that required his fully attention, but I have a feeling he is just content with his time in the NHL considering he decided to sit out the season regardless of what was then a potential lockout. If you have a place to stash a questionable guy like him I would still wait it out though since despite his age he is still a talented, high level competitor.

Dominik Hasek was 36 years old when the Red Wings signed him the first time (2001-2002, Stanley Cup).
After a full year off, he came back to the Red Wings at the age of 38 years old (2003-2004).
And then he even re-signed with the Wings a 3rd time at the age of 41 years old (2006-2007).

The GM of all of those Red Wings teams is Ken Holland, who is still the Wings acting GM.

Tim Thomas is a Flint, Michigan native. Distance to JLA: 1 hour. He's a big family man... got three kids. We know the rest of the story. I wouldn't necessarily know if Ken Holland (four kids) is a similar "kind" of guy... but if they are, we could all end up seeing Tim Thomas in a Wings' jersey when Jimmy Howard's contract ends this summer. (and Thomas' contract with Boston ends too... so no need to do any trades. It's a simple UFA signing.)

Holland has that track record of signing the proven-aging goalie (Hasek) to make another run at another Stanley Cup... and it worked.

Just sayin.

Good point which I hadn't thought of. I like your Ryan Miller theory better though haha. I guess in recent years even we have seen this though, when the Red Wings tried to sign Nabokov to that cheap contract to get him back into the NHL.
Maybe I'm making it into a bigger issue than it is, but I really can't see how a team, unless very desperate, could give Thomas a chance considering what he did off the ice last year. It was a big time distraction, not to mention he bailed on his team.

I don't think Thomas is as much of a "distraction" as people say. I've been in lots of hockey locker rooms with guys that had been going through divorces, criminal trials, even one guy that had apparently beat another player in the parking lot. Once guys are in the locker room, everything is all hockey. The other stuff goes away. It's not a distraction. Hockey players are only focused on the hockey. (Now, if the distraction actually affects play, like Carter/Richards conditioning/leadership in Philly... then you've got a different story. But I don't think "opinions" are actual distractions to a hockey club.)

On Ryan Miller... I think the Wings should make him their long-term option for 2014-beyond.
Tim Thomas as a one-year contract would work VERY nicely for the Wings.
And I think Thomas might agree to that... he get's to be close to home and it's a short committment.

The situation in Detroit now is very similar to 2001.
The team had several aging stars (Yzerman, Shanahan, Robitaille, Hull, Larionov) that were 3 years removed from their previous Stanley Cup (1998).
Holland probably felt like this team had one last good-shot at a Cup... and he signed the old proven goalie (Hasek).

The Wings next summer (2013) will be 5 years from their previous Stanley Cup (2008).
Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen are entering the tail-end of their careers like Yzerman, Shanahan, Robitaille, Hull.

Very, very, very similar situation.