Haggerty On Toucher & Rich: What Should Bruins Do With Cap Space From Tim Thomas Trade?
News broke on Thursday that the Bruins traded goalie Tim Thomas to the New York Islanders for a second-round pick, either in 2014 or 2015. Boston will only receive that draft pick if Thomas either reports to the Islanders or if the Islanders trade his rights.
Comcast SportsNet's Joe Haggerty joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich to discuss the trade, the compensation and what the Bruins could do with that extra salary cap room.
The second-round pick that the Bruins are set to get from the Islanders in the Thomas deal comes with stipulations. Will the Bruins get their compensation from this deal?
"I don't think so, I don't think he's ever going play again," said Haggerty. "I mean it would be an amazing story if a guy sits out the entire season at 38-years-old, then tries to come back at 39 and is able to do it, and plays next year and plays for the Olympic team and does all the things that supposedly he has as kind of flights of fancy in the back of his mind."
Haggerty went on to say that no longer dealing with the $5 million cap hit and the fact that they won't have to answer anymore questions about the absent goalie is well worth not getting anything back in compensation for Boston. The Bruins are now well under the cap and would be able to go out and make any deal they would need to make.
Haggerty believes that the Bruins shoulduse the money to try to acquire Calgary Flames winger Jarome Iginla.
"Calgary sucks this year and they're going to want to trade him, and they will trade him to a team that has a chance to win a Stanley Cup," he said.
