Boston Bruins alternate history: What if they never traded Joe Thornton?

Get out your flux capacitors because we’re changing history. In 2005, the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton. It stings to this day. What if they would have kept him?

It’s summertime. Here at Puck Prose, we’re bored, so we’re going back in time and changing history. That’s right, we’re driving our DeLorean at 88 miles per hour and we’re busting out our flux capacitors so NHL history can be changed for each team. Earlier, we looked at how different the Arizona Coyotes would look if they won the 2007 draft lottery. Today, we take a look at the Boston Bruins and perhaps the worst trade they ever made – trading Joe Thornton.

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Not only did they become the first team to trade a Hart Trophy winner during the same season he won it, but they also didn’t even get a good return. Since being traded, Thornton has carved out a career that will be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.

Though the Bruins bounced back from the trade, it had nothing to do with the trade. It had everything to do with them signing Zdeno Chara and Chara turning into a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman.

Even without Thornton, the Bruins won a Stanley Cup and have been to two other Stanley Cup Finals. Imagine how good they would have been with him.

The Trade

Heading out of the 2004 lockout, the Bruins had made the postseason in three consecutive seasons, but had been eliminated in the first round each time. They struggled out of the gate, putting up a 7-5-4 record over their first 16 games.

However, the Bruins then proceeded to lose nine of their next 10 games and began falling towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. This gave the Bruins an excuse to try doing what they already tried to do after the 2004 postseason – trade Thornton, who was their captain at the time. Boston wanted to rebuild, and what better way to do it than by trading your captain?

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks were looking to make a statement after losing nine straight games of their own. They desperately wanted to get some help for Patrick Marleau. The trade happened quickly, as Thornton was informed of the trade during a dinner with his parents and his future wife.

Boston got Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm, and Wayne Primeau in the trade. Stuart and Primeau didn’t even last a full season, as they were traded during the 2006-07 season to the Calgary Flames in a trade that netted the Bruins Andrew Ferrence. Sturm put up 193 points in 305 games with Boston.

It’s safe to say the Bruins lost the trade. Not only did they give up a future Hall of Famer because the front office made bad decisions and created a weak roster, they didn’t get anything close to fair value. Thornton made the deal look terrible from the start, as he won the 2005-06 Hart Trophy.

Let’s reverse the trade. Even the staunchest Bruins apologist will admit the Thornton trade was a terrible one. Yes, it made them rebuild. But they easily could have rebuilt around Thornton, even if they wound up stripping him of the captaincy. Remember, the Sharks did that roughly a decade after the trade and Thornton didn’t demand a trade.

Alternate History

This is an interesting move. In our first two episodes, we added to what wasn’t there before. With this one, we’re adding what was already there, we’re just not subtracting it. The main repercussion of this trade is the Ferrence trade probably never happens. After all, it included two pieces involved in the Thornton trade. But it’s not like Ferrence was a key cog to the Stanley Cup team.

The Bruins play out the 2005-06 season with Thornton. At the time of the trade, they had 18 points in 25 games, good for a 36% point percentage. Over 82 games, that’s a 59 point pace, so we’ll assume they finish with 59 points. This would have put them in third-to-last place.

Originally, the Bruins held the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft and they drafted Phil Kessel, who they eventually turned into Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, who they eventually turned into two prospects who haven’t made it to the NHL full-time yet.

By finishing third, they replace the Chicago Blackhawks and get the third overall pick in the 2006 draft. The Blackhawks drafted Jonathan Toews, so we’ll assume the Bruins will do the same.

Boston suddenly has Toews and Thornton. Not to mention some young center named Patrice Bergeron who just put up 73 points in 82 games during the 2005-06 season. There are two teams in the world who could match that center depth – Canada’s men’s hockey team in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. That’s about it.

Now, here’s the big question. The Thornton trade did accomplish one thing for the Bruins – it gave them a ton of cap space. Enough to add top free agent defenseman Zdeno Chara during the 2006 offseason. But they signed a number of other free agents too, which makes me think they could find a way to squeeze Thornton and Chara in under the salary cap.

Thornton loses his Hart Trophy, but he easily gets it back during the 2006-07 season. The Bruins missed the playoffs that season in real life, but having him and Bergeron is enough to drag them to the postseason.

Instead of winning just one Stanley Cup, the Bruins win at least two – one in 2011 and one in 2013 (remember the Blackhawks don’t have Toews anymore).

So by losing Thornton, the Bruins were actually better during the 2005-06 season. But keeping him would have them worse, which would have made them better in the future because instead of Kessel, they draft Toews.

The Thornton trade was an inexcusable move. It got general manager Mike McConnell fired. Trading Thornton alone was a bad idea. But getting a terrible return for him makes it even worse. Luckily for the Bruins, Chara, Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and others helped the team rebound quickly. It doesn’t excuse the Thornton trade, though.