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Tampa Bay hires former NHL forward Steve Thomas as player development consultant

The Tampa Bay Lightning added another piece to their new front office puzzle today as the team signed former forward Steve Thomas as a player development consultant, TSN reports.

Thomas will monitor and oversee all of the Lightnings prospects.

Thomas played 1235 games in the NHL, scoring 421 goals over 20 seasons. He played for the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, Islanders, Devils, Ducks and Red Wings.

It’s been an incredibly busy summer for the Lightning. They added new GM Steve Yzerman, a new coach in Guy Boucher, new players including Simon Gagne and some other front office types.

It’s quite common for NHL teams to hire former players as “consultants,” especially with experienced types like Thomas and Chris Chelios. Perhaps they’re going to groom Thomas for a bigger role in the future - either behind the bench or in the front office - or maybe it’s just a moment in which one hockey veteran reaches out to another. Either way, congrats to Thomas as he tries to carve out a post-playing career.