Gionta content with possible retirement

If this is the end of the road for Brian Gionta, he'll look back fondly over his 16-year-long NHL career.

The 39-year-old has spent the offseason training in his native Western New York, and while he hasn't ruled out the possibility of suiting up next season, it appears it would need to be a near unimaginable opportunity for him to do so.

"I'm still training with the group of guys who are here," Gionta told NHL.com's Dave Stubbs. "At this point, it's basically to hang around them and stay in shape. But I'm prepared (for retirement) unless something very out of the ordinary and significant came through."

Gionta's time in the big leagues began in 2001 and included stints with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, and a short encore with the Boston Bruins.

A Stanley Cup win with the Devils in 2003 marked his biggest accomplishment, though his 48-goal output with New Jersey three years later is also deserving of applause, as the feat still stands as a franchise record.

Last season, Gionta spent much of the year practicing with the Sabres' AHL club in Rochester in preparation of PyeongChang 2018, where he competed with Team USA before inking a deal with the Bruins in February.

If he has skated in his final NHL game, Gionta will wrap his 1,026-game career with 291 goals and 304 assists. Not too shabby for a diminutive player who many pundits pegged as having little chance of making waves in pro hockey.