Bruins are set up for few more Cup runs

Associated Press

BOSTON

The long-term contract the Boston Bruins gave Tim Thomas seemed like a big waste of money just a year ago. They even explored trading him.

Now, after one of the greatest performances by a goalie in the history of the Stanley Cup finals, that deal looks golden. And there’s more good news on the contract front for the NHL champions.

Only three players on the team that beat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games are unrestricted free agents and one of them, Mark Recchi, is retiring. The only restricted free agent is Brad Marchand, and the Bruins aren’t about to let him get away.

Coach Claude Julien, overshadowed through much of the postseason and in danger of dismissal if Boston didn’t get past the second round, isn’t going anywhere either. His assistants also are under contract.

“That’s actually the first time someone has asked me that question about our coaches,” general manager Peter Chiarelli said Friday when asked if he was working on an extension for Julien. “They are currently under contract into subsequent years, so nothing forthcoming.”

The Bruins did consider, however briefly, trading Thomas last year, the second of a four-year, $20-million contract. He ended that season on the bench, hampered by a hip injury for the entire postseason after winning the Vezina Trophy a year earlier.

Chiarelli said that he, Thomas and Bill Zito, the goalie’s agent, agreed to look into dealing Thomas, but a trade was never close.

“He kept stressing he didn’t want to leave. And I said, ‘I know, let’s just look at this very briefly,’” Chiarelli said. “I know there are a lot of stories that flowed from it, but I can’t stress enough the fact that Tim never wanted to leave. And I wouldn’t be doing my job if I at least didn’t look at some things. And I did.”

He does the same with other players.

“You talk to other teams,” Chiarelli said. “And at the end of the day, you make the decision, yay or nay. And here it was nay. And it was an easy nay.”

That decision paid off when Thomas led the NHL with a 2.00 goals against average and .938 save percentage in the regular season. He was even better in the playoffs at 1.98 and .940 overall and 1.15 and .967 against the Canucks, who led the NHL in scoring during the regular season.

He had plenty of help from the top defensive pairing of Zdeno Chara, who is signed for eight more seasons, and Dennis Seidenberg, who has four left on his contract.

On the forward lines, Patrice Bergeron, who scored two goals in the Cup-clinching 4-0 win in Game 7, is signed for three more years, while Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, Tyler Seguin and Gregory Campbell each have two years remaining. Marc Savard also has two years to go, but a series of concussions is threatening the career of the outstanding playmaker.

Right wing Michael Ryder and defenseman Tomas Kaberle are unrestricted free agents.