Tim Thomas has agreed to waive his no-trade clause if the Boston Bruins want to trade him before July 1. That's certainly an interesting development. Thomas has already previously stated that he doesn't want to play next season, but maybe he'll have a change of heart if Boston trades him. Then again, this could just be an opportunity for Boston to dump his salary on a team that's struggling to reach the cap floor. Thomas' $5 million cap hit will count even if he doesn't play.

Look for the Boston Bruins to trade not-playing Tim Thomas to a low-spending team such as Colorado or the New York Islanders, The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons suggests. Simmons writes: "The $5 million of Thomas sitting put would count against the salary cap, but the team wouldn't have to pay the sitting-out Thomas. So for teams that need help getting to the floor of the new salary cap, it's an inexpensive, no-risk piece of bookkeeping."

Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said that according to Tim Thomas' agent, Bill Zito, nothing has changed with regard to his client's decision not to play in 2012-13. Chiarelli also said that right now he is preparing for the upcoming season with the mindset that Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin will be his goaltenders. Thomas' announcement was surprising to say the least and the Bruins were caught off guard as well because they have been forced to make some changes to their off-season plans as a result of their alterations in the crease.

Tim Thomas' agent, Bill Zito, confirmed that his client isn't looking for a trade or contract extension. Thomas announced on Sunday that he will not play in the 2012-13 season. He's still under contract and the Boston Bruins will still absorb his $5 million cap hit even if he refuses to play. That's sparked rumors that this might be a ploy by Thomas to get something from Boston and Zito's remarks counter that. "It didn't have anything to do with a contract or trade," said Zito.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has brought up the option of tolling Tim Thomas' contract, but that doesn't seem likely. Thomas declared on Sunday that he wouldn't play in 2012-13, but he didn't announce his retirement. He has one year left on his contract and if he refuses to play then the Bruins can toll his contract. That means that they would get him for another year at an annual cap hit of $5 million. However, after taking a year off, it's unlikely that Thomas would command that much on the open market. In addition, if Thomas decides to retire rather than return in 2013-14, then the Bruins will have bought themselves a second season of enduring a $5 million cap hit for a goaltender that's not playing. For those reasons, the Bruins are probably going to either trade him for basically nothing to a team that just needs to reach the cap floor, or eat his contract and allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2013.

One year after winning the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, Tim Thomas announced that he won't play in the final season (2012-13) of his contract. Thomas wrote a lengthy Facebook message on the matter, stating the he's leaving to focus on the "three F's": "Faith, Family and Friends." Thomas is leaving $5 million on the table (which will still be counted against the Bruins' salary cap). Thomas has developed into a regular fantasy producer but with Boston's structure - particularly Zdeno Chara - in place, Tuukka Rask now flirts with top-10 fantasy goalie status. Rask is also due a new contract this off-season as restricted free agent.

Tim Thomas $5 million annual cap hit will be charged to the Bruins even if he doesn't play. That's a pain for the Bruins and it could complicate their plans this summer. They might try to trade him to a team looking to reach the cap floor, but in that scenario, they wouldn't be able to get much, if anything, in return.

The Boston Bruins have confirmed there's a very real possibility that Tim Thomas will not play in 2012-13. "I'm approaching this season as if Tim Thomas won't be playing next year," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. "There's a strong chance he'll be taking the year off." Apparently Chiarelli has known of this possibility since the beginning of May. Thomas comes with a $5 million cap hit and his contract will expire in the summer of 2013. However, if he takes a full season off, there's a good chance that he will not be able to stage an effective comeback. Thomas will be 39 by the time he hits the free agent market.

Tim Thomas may decide to sit out next season. ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reports that the goalie "was contemplating taking next season off." The 38-year-old has a year left on his contract and his no-trade clause expires July 1. With Tuuka Rask seemingly ready to take over the No. 1 job, there's been some rumors that Boston could seek to trade Thomas this offseason. Still, this would be a bizarre decision on his part. Thomas is coming off a year in which he went 35-19-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.

Bruins president Cam Neely doesn't sound like a man looking to trade Tim Thomas. "We're very happy with our goalies. We have two strong goalies in both Tim and Tuukka," said Neely. "I think a lot of teams are probably envious of what we have here. It's an area were we feel pretty comfortable." Of course that might simply be them trying to position themselves as being willing to keep Thomas in the hopes that any potential trading partner won't feel like they have the upper hand. With Tuukka Rask scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, keeping both of their goaltenders could significantly eat away at their 2012-13 cap space.