8. Tim Thomas & Manny Fernandez
The Bruins made a deal in the summer of 2007, where they sent forward Petr Kalus and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Wild, for veteran goaltender Manny Fernandez. Tim Thomas had worked 66 of the 82 games in the previous season, and needed a partner in net. Unfortunately, Fernandez injured his left knee in practice on October 30 and was sidelined for the rest of the season. He was 2-2 with a .832 SV% and a 3.93 GAA with one shutout before his season abruptly ended.
At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, both Fernandez and Thomas were healthy and ready to go. Thomas went 36-11-7 on the season, with a .933 SV% and a 2.10 GAA with two shutouts, while Fernandez put up a 16-8-3 record, with a .910 SV% and a 2.59 GAA with one shutout. The season they had was good enough to earn Thomas and Fernandez the Jennings Trophy, with Thomas also winning the Vezina Trophy.
The Bruins swept the Canadiens in the Conference Quarter-Finals, but were eliminated from the playoffs in the Semi-Finals by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. Thomas worked every playoff game, going 7-4 with a .935 SV% and a 1.35 GAA with one shutout. Fernandez’s contract expired when the season was over and quietly retired from the NHL.