Boston Bruins Will Not Re-Sign Shawn Thornton

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Monday he told free-agent forward Shawn Thornton the team would not be bringing him back for an eighth season in Boston.

“Today I met with Shawn. We had a good meeting and I informed him that we wouldn’t be re-signing him,” Chiarelli said in a video posted on the team’s web site. “It was good in the sense that we talked about the time Shawn has spent here. … I told him that he was one of the most significant acquisitions we made, one, for the role that he played, and two, for the person that he is.

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“It was seven amazing years,” Thornton said. “I’ve been asked for my favorite memory and I don’t know because the whole thing has been an amazing experience. To do my job in this city for seven years has been incredible. Unfortunately, it’s time to move on but it’s part of the business. The Bruins have been nothing but first class treating me unbelievable and I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”