Timmy Takes Some Time
By bflan
Veteran Stanley Cup Champion Tim Thomas #30 recently told the media that he would be taking the 2012-2013 season off from professional hockey. The former Vezina Trophy winner said he would be “focusing on friends, family, and faith” in the upcoming season.
http://video.bruins.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=659&id=180506&lang=en&navid=DL|BOS|home
Lets take a look on what sort of affect this will have on the team’s dynamic.
Thomas averaged an impressive .921 save percentage and a 2.48 Goals Against average in six years as the Bruins starter. His unconventional style obviously paid off in 2011 when he posted a whopping 9 shutouts in the regular season. Thomas is considered an elite netminder that could be given the nod whenever the team needs him most. in regards to stats the 38 year old peaked in 2011, although it may seem that he was getting better every year. But how long could the numbers stay consistent since no one is getting any younger?
In the meantime we are left to roll with young Tuukka Rask and backup Anton Khudobin. There’s no need to worry though, there is actually reason to be excited about this. In his rookie campaign, Tuukka posted a .931 SV% and a 1.97 GAA while starting in half the season’s games played. Two years later he is playing almost just as well. There is no doubt that this young talent could potentially blossom into an elite netminder. Rask does come with some complications though. He is known to be hot-tempered and unreliable when games take turns for the worse. He is either a brick wall or a fish out of water between the pipes. My biggest concern is that Tuukka has never had a full season as the no. 1. We will see how he handles a large workload for the first time. If he can come into his own and control his anger in pressure situations, the Bruins should only have to worry about scoring goals next season. And fix that dreadful powerplay.