Tim Thomas enjoyed a stellar run with the Boston Bruins, highlighted by a Stanley Cup championship and Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP back in 2011.

But as the Bruins prepare to retire Rick Middleton's No. 16 before Thursday's home game vs. the New York Islanders, team president Cam Neely admitted it's highly unlikely they'll lift Thomas' No. 30 to the rafters.

"There’s no question, that team in ’11, what it meant to Bruins fans and New England. Timmy, what he did in that playoffs, not just in the finals but all of the series, was pretty impressive," Neely said, according to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.

"I don’t want to rule anything out, but you look at some of the guys up there, they have a bigger sample size of what they did throughout their career in Boston."

Thomas spent eight seasons with the Bruins, but appeared in just 378 games over that span. He was used as a back up in two of those seasons. So Neely certainly has a point in noting that Thomas didn't play as much, compared to the B's who have their numbers retired.

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He won two Vezina Trophies in Boston (2009, 2011), and was the centerpiece of their Stanley Cup championship in 2011, ending the team's 39-year drought.

But again, Neely said he didn't want to rule out the possibility. Perhaps in 10 years from now, they'll decide Thomas did more than enough to have his number lifted to the rafters at TD Garden.

What This Means

Thomas had some great moments in Beantown, but the stats don't exactly add up to a guy who should have his number retired. Per Hockey reference, Thomas only ranks sixth all-time in games played as a goalie for the franchise, fifth in wins, sixth in goals against average and fourth in shutouts.

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