(Photo: Bridget Samuels/Ikeastan) After what was a great run in Boston, it's time for the Thomas era in Boston to come to an end.

In life all great things must come to an end, and that statement is certainly true in professional sports. As much as we don’t want it to happen athletes come and go, and for the Bruins, and Tim Thomas, it’s finally time for Thomas to move on.

Now before you curse me, call me a fool, or stop reading this article, please just hear me out.

This thought has nothing to do with the White House. Nothing to do with Thomas saying they, their, me, I, we, us or anything like that in a post game interview. Nothing to do with Thomas walking across the Bruins logo—an unwritten rule in the Bruins locker room—. Nothing to do with what type of soda Thomas drinks, what flavor ice cream Thomas orders, or what TV shows Thomas has on his DVR, this is strictly about hockey, and about what’s best for the Boston Bruins.

For those of you asking how the Bruins could part ways with Tim Thomas, after last season, I hear you, loud and clear. I mean the guy was one of, if not the key reason why the Bruins brought Lord Stanley back to Boston after 39 years.

The Thomas story is an amazing one indeed, something young American hockey players should always keep in mind when things seem to be at its low, and goals seem impossible to reach.

Thomas’ heroics last season staples his name into the book of Boston legends, and there’s no denying it’s well deserved, but like I previously stated, all good things must come to an end.

It happens in every sport folks, sooner rather than later there’s going to be no more Tom Brady, David Oritz or Paul Peirce, three guys who like Thomas brought championships to Boston. When it’s time to move on, it’s time to move on.

Thomas’ is entering the last year on his most recent three-year-deal. Once July 1 hits, Thomas’ no trade rights go out the window and the Bruins are then allowed to send the Flint, Michigan native to whatever team they want, and there will for sure be a handful of teams calling the Bruins in hopes of acquiring the two-time Vezina Award winning goalie.

In today’s “break up day” press conference, Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli admitted to wanting to add a top nine forward in the offseason, whether it be via free agency or trade.  Thomas could land you a top nine forward for sure; he could actually land you a top six forward without a doubt.

Luckily for the Bruins if they do decided to pull the trigger on a deal that sends last year’s Conn Smythe winner elsewhere the Bruins are still very solid between the pipes.

A Thomas trade would pave the way for Tuukka Rask to regain the starting job as Bruins goalie, a position that he lost to Thomas early last season after a fantastic start by Thomas. Rask is a restricted free agent, but both he and the Bruins have made it known that they expect Tuukka to be here for a long time.

With Rask slatted as the goalie of the future, it’s expected the Finnish netminder will get a multi-year deal from the Bruins. It’s no secret Rask want’s to be a starter, and in my opinion the time is now for Rask to be number one on the Bruins depth chart. This is in no way a knock on Thomas’ play, it’s more of a lets see what Rask can do.

Rask has one full season as the Bruins starting goalie under his belt, which was his rookie year in the 2009-2010 season. Rask led the NHL in goals against average and save percentage that year, but seemed to fizzle out as the grind that is the NHL playoffs came around.

To continue the dynamic duo in net the Bruins have had the past three years, the Bruins will have Anton Khudobin who in his brief time in the NHL has shown that he is very capable of being a solid NHL goalie. Khudobin also has a one-way-deal with the Bruins next season, another sign that Thomas’ days in Boston are over.

It’s no secret that things got a bit, let’s say awkward with Thomas. Everything from White House no shows, to facebook posts seemed to get blown way out of proportion. Some are going as far as saying the Bruins media is trying to run Thomas out of town, and to be honest, I’m one of those believers, I mean it is what Boston media does best, right?

If Thomas is shipped out of Boston this summer, I’ll remember Thomas as the American dream, who never gave up, gave it all he got, and eventually after tons of up and downs finally found himself on top of the hockey world in 2011, something he undoubtedly deserved.

At the end of the day when you look at it, for no reason other than it’s what is best for the Bruins, the Tim Thomas era in Boston should come to an end.