Joe Thornton: Chicago, St. Louis, or NY Rangers?
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
There’s no secret that Joe Thornton is on the trade block. It’s been common knowledge for quite some time now. This year, GM Doug Wilson made it clear that changes would be made after the team’s playoff collapse in the first round against the LA Kings. The team already traded Dan Boyle’s rights away, so fans are expecting more bold moves. Therefore Thornton’s name has come up in the trade proposals of countless armchair GMs who are trying to predict where the center will be playing at the start of the 2014-2015 season. Ultimately Thornton has the final say on where he goes, and he can even decide to stay put despite GM Doug Wilson’s intentions, but if he indeed makes himself available, it would be a unique situation as he is one of the premier passers in the league. Where will he end up? Here are some possibilities:
Apr 27, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw (left) and defenseman Duncan Keith (right) celebrate Keith
Chicago Blackhawks
While highly unlikely to happen given the Blackhawks’ cap situation and standing as a rival of the Sharks, Joe Thornton would be a great fit in Chicago. The Blackhawks have been looking for a no. 2 center to play behind Jonathan Toews for years, even dating back to their 2010 championship run. Thornton would be the perfect center for Patrick Kane who loves to have the puck and score big goals, as Thornton’s playmaking ability is one of the best in the league right now. Toews can then play with Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa as “Jumbo Joe” anchors a line that includes Kane and Brandon Saad. The ‘Hawks would essentially have two “first” lines and the scoring would increase exponentially.
If this were to happen, the Sharks would likely want to make prospect Teuvo Teravainen the centerpiece of their return from Chicago. If that were to fall through, the Blackhawks could offer their first round pick and either Andrew Shaw or goaltending prospect Antti Raanta. Netting Raanta in a deal would help the Sharks for both now and the future, as he is a highly-touted goalie prospect and San Jose is in need of help in net.
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St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues, much like Thornton’s Sharks, came up short in the postseason after an inspiring regular season that had people counting on them to go far. The Blues currently have over $22 million in cap space to work with, and will most likely have enough space for Thornton as they are letting go of UFAs Ryan Miller and (most likely) Derek Roy. The Blues are in need of another top 6 center as Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka have not proven that they can handle that role. David Backes plays an excellent two-way game and would be better off playing with two-way forwards Alexander Steen and Jaden Schwartz while Thornton could play in a scoring role with goal scorers T.J. Oshie and Vladimir Tarasenko. This would completely balance the team and give the Blues a key piece to the puzzle that they have been missing.
St. Louis has the assets for Thornton and San Jose could ask for a combination of one of their top prospects, Ty Rattie or Dmitrij Jaskin, as well as either a first round pick or a roster player like Patrik Berglund or Vladimir Sobotka.