B's tie up Thomas ($20m).

Byline: Bud Barth

Passing up his big chance to test free agency for the first time and possibly become the NHL's highest-paid goaltender, 34-year-old Tim Thomas instead elected to sign a four-year, $20 million contract extension yesterday that likely will keep him with the Bruins for the rest of his career.

Thomas, the odds-on favorite to win this season's Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, will earn $6 million next season and in 2010-11, $5 million in 2011-12, and $3 million in 2012-13, when he will be 39 years old. Thomas turns 35 on April 15.

The Boston Globe reported the salary terms, quoting "a front-office member of an NHL team" as its source. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed the signing, which will be announced formally at a press conference at 10 a.m. today at TD Banknorth Garden - three hours before the Bruins' 1 p.m. faceoff against the New York Rangers.

It's Thomas' age that prompted the Bruins to get the deal done so quickly, the Globe said. Thomas would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and the NHL's collective bargaining agreement dictates that when a player signs after his 35th birthday, his cap number cannot be deleted or even reduced if the club buys out his contract.

A player can be bought out at two-thirds of his contract's value. That figure normally is spread out over twice as many years as remain on the contract to compute the salary cap impact on the team.

Had Thomas signed yesterday's deal on or after April 15, the Bruins would have been stuck for the entire $5 million average of his deal in their cap computations if they bought him out.

Not that the Bruins are planning to part with Thomas, barring any unforeseen calamity. The University of Vermont product is enjoying his finest season in the NHL, leading the league in both goals-against average (2.11) and save percentage (.932). He also has career highs of four shutouts and 33 victories, the latter tied for sixth-most in the NHL.

Thomas' $6 million salary for next season makes him the NHL's fourth highest-paid goaltender behind the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875 million), Vancouver's Roberto Luongo ($6.75) and Buffalo's Ryan Miller ($6.25). Thomas' $5 million average over the life of the contract ranks 12th.

Had he fielded free-agent offers, it's possible Thomas could have wound up at the top of both lists. But, on the other hand, it's a huge boost over the $1.1 million he was paid each of the last three seasons, and his $5 million average is comparable to the $5.2 million of New Jersey's 36-year-old Martin Brodeur, who recently became the NHL's winningest goalie ever and figures to hold every all-time goaltending record by the time his contract expires after three more seasons.

Although he's been the Rodney Dangerfield of goalies, making the last two NHL All-Star teams despite not even being listed on the ballot, and twice winning the Bruins' Seventh Player Award, the ultimate throw-in bone for neglected stars, Thomas is happy with the Bruins. They signed him twice as a lightly-recruited free agent, in 2001 and 2005, after several eye-opening seasons in Finland, where he recorded 15 shutouts during the NHL lockout season of 2004-05.

Despite giving Thomas his big chance, the Bruins always seemed to have someone else ahead of him in their plans. But the Flint, Mich. native simply wrested the job away from Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen in 2005-06, Toivonen again in '06-07, and Manny Fernandez the last two seasons.

In the 2006-07 season, Thomas played 66 games and 3,619 minutes, both career highs. This season, he has played 51 games and 3,076 minutes while roughly doubling the ice time of Fernandez, his backup.

It's expected the Bruins will let Fernandez, 34, walk this summer as an unrestricted free agent, and hand next year's backup job to 22-year-old super prospect Tuukka Rask, currently in Providence. Rask blanked the Rangers on Jan. 31 in his only NHL appearance this season, and is 3-1-1 lifetime with the Papa Bears.

NAME: BOSTON BRUINS

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: ASSOCIATED PRESS File Photo

CUTLINE: Tim Thomas's breakout performance this season has earned him a new contract.