The idea of Tim Thomas playing for the Florida Panthers makes far more sense than anybody wants to admit.
Thomas is a highly skilled, accomplished goalie with an entertaining personality and a moderately controversial past going to a franchise that could stand to add more talent and controversy.
With Thomas expected to sign next week, this will be a marriage of convenience between two parties who need each other.
Thomas, 39, says he is "reborn" as a hockey player after not playing last season to concentrate on his family life, and the Panthers are one of just a few NHL teams that could give him the opportunity to compete to be the No. 1 goalie.
Meanwhile, the Panthers, who have made the playoffs once in 13 years, get a potential difference-maker. Let's not forget that the last time we saw Thomas compete 17 months ago, he was cart-wheeling around the Boston Bruins' net stopping 92% of the shots he faced. His lifetime save percentage is .921 and the Panthers' goalies had a combined .877 mark last season.
Thomas is 27 months removed from winning the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the league and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the best player in the NHL playoffs.
Jacob Markstrom is the Panthers' goalie of the future. But right now, with the Panthers needing to contend for a playoff spot, Thomas seems like the better option.
He offers added credibility and hope to a team that will have an uphill climb to make the playoffs in the realigned Atlantic Division.
His so-called controversial past will be a non-issue in the Panthers' dressing room. Two years ago, Thomas refused to attend a Boston Bruins' visit to the White House as a form of protest against how he feels America is being governed.
Thomas made some remarks on his Facebook page that drew attention to his conservative political slant. Goalie or not, he's definitely on the right wing.
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But anyone who suggests that Thomas' political positions might create tension in the dressing room doesn't understand the NHL's demographics.
American politics are not a front-burner topic of conversation in an NHL dressing room. About 80% of NHL players are not eligible to vote in U.S. elections. Only one of every five NHL players is an American citizen.
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane didn't have to declare a political party affiliation before he raised the Stanley Cup and no one in the NHL cares whether Thomas supports President Obama's stance on Syria.
It's possible that there are more players curious about the fact that Thomas bagged an alligator on a hunting expedition than they are about his political leanings.
Undoubtedly, Thomas' political positions will be brought up by fans and the news media. But the controversial tag applied to Thomas might be a good thing for a franchise that has to work to sell tickets in South Florida. Fans seem to like to watch athletes with rebellious or bad boy images.
What the Panthers can really sell is that Thomas always has been a wildly entertaining, acrobatic goalie with a history of turning sure goals into highlight-reel saves.
Many fans in Boston love him for what he did to help the Bruins win the 2011 Stanley Cup. Before he refused to go the White House, he was known mostly as a highly intelligent conversationalist who could talk thoughtfully on a wide range of topics.
The only legitimate concern about Thomas is how much rust he has on his game after not playing for a season. At his age, can he get back to the level he was at before his sabbatical? That question can't be answered until he starts playing regularly.
You certainly can't tell by looking at him whether he is ready to play 50-plus games. Even when he was crowned the best goalie in the NHL, he looked more like an insurance salesman than an NHL goalie. He's 5-11 and stocky, always listed at 201, but looking like he might be 210. If you saw him in street clothes, you would think he was a Sunday beer league goalie, not an NHL star.
But when he's flying around his Boston crease with gymnast-like agility, no one cares how much he weighed or how he voted.
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