NHL trade rumors: Top 3 destinations for Joe Thornton
According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the San Jose Sharks might be willing to trade Joe Thornton. Which contenders would be the best fit for him?
Going into this season, the San Jose Sharks had Stanley Cup aspirations. However, their train went off the rails quickly. Not even a head coaching firing was able to get them back on track. They’re virtually out of the playoff race, as MoneyPuck gives them a 2.3% chance of making the postseason. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the Sharks could do the unthinkable by trading Joe Thornton.
In a recent article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Thornton appeared to be open to going to a different team. “We’ll have to see how these next couple weeks play out and then we’ll go from there” isn’t exactly a “yes”, but that’s far more open than he has been in the past.
Of course, Thornton would have to sign off on any trade. After all, he has a no-movement clause. However, it’s safe to say Thornton might be willing to waive it for the right team. It has to be eating at him that he has never won a Stanley Cup. A Stanley Cup would be the cherry on top of the glorious sundae of his career.
With a cap hit of just $2 million, a lot of contenders could afford him. Ultimately, it’s up to Jumbo Joe whether or not he gets moved. But you have to think if he wants to be traded, the Sharks would be more than happy to go out of their way to make him happy. They owe him that much.
Seeing Thornton in a different sweater would be mighty weird. Sure, he was traded to the Sharks in 2005, but he has become synonymous with the Sharks. Let’s take a look at which contenders should be most interested in acquiring Thornton.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are having one heck of a season. While they’re not quite as great as last season, they’ve been able to overcome adversity, which should help their chances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning are looking to add a missing piece, and that missing piece could be Thornton.
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First of all, he probably wouldn’t be that expensive to obtain. And considering the Lightning need to evaluate their options with Ryan McDonagh out, that’s really important. Thornton would be a cheap addition to their third or fourth line.
Secondly, the Lightning are trying to add some grit. That much was proven when they signed Patrick Maroon from the St. Louis Blues. The Lightning could still use a bit more grit, and Thornton’s the right kind of grit to get. He’s still skilled enough to make plays, yet he’s strong enough to win just about any puck battle.
The Lightning can also surround him with the kind of talent he needs to get back on track production-wise. Thornton is having a down year there with just 24 points in 56 games, but the Sharks are partially to blame because they don’t have much forward depth.
To paraphrase Toby Keith, Thornton might not be as good as he once was, but the Lightning can bet he’s as good once as he ever was.
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche will be without Nazem Kadri for a while. This could lead to them being interested in acquiring Thornton to give them some more forward depth. The Avalanche certainly have the cap space to acquire him, as few teams have more cap space than them. And right now, they need another center.
Why not get Jumbo Joe and try to get him a well-deserved Ray Bourque moment? The Avalanche have a pretty good history there. With the Western Conference completely wide open, it wouldn’t be shocking if Thornton helped the Avalanche lift the Stanley Cup.
Even before Kadri’s injury, Thornton would have made a nice addition to their third line. Their third line has been struggling and Thornton could help stabilize it a little bit. He’s still a monster in the faceoff circle, and though he’s slow, he’s still one of the best passers in the NHL.
Unless the Avalanche are willing to pay a hefty price to get Jean-Gabriel Pageau, the options out there are pretty limited. Thornton’s honestly one of the better ones out there. And none of the options out there can do what Thornton can. Even at over 40 years old, he’s one of the toughest players around and he’s still skilled enough to make magic happen.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins never should have traded Thornton in the first place. It was a dumb trade in 2005 and somehow, it’s an even dumber trade right now. Thornton has emerged as one of the greatest players of all-time. Meanwhile, the Bruins got virtually nothing for him. It’s time for the Bruins and Thornton to create a storybook ending even Disney couldn’t top. Yes, it’s time for the Bruins to trade for Thornton.
Here’s the thing. The Bruins could actually use Thornton. Their center depth isn’t very impressive. He would be a huge upgrade to either their third or even fourth line. Not to mention Thornton would obviously be an upgrade on the Bruins power play, where Thornton has made a living out of delivering precise passes.
Of course, the Bruins are probably after some bigger fish. And rightfully so. However, there aren’t that many big fish available. There’s Pageau, Chris Kreider, Tomas Tatar, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Tyler Toffoli, and yeah, that’s about it for forwards. Keep in mind Pageau is the lone center of that bunch.
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Even if the Bruins manage to get one of the big fish, Thornton’s cheap cap hit would make trading for him a fairly simple task for general manager Don Sweeney.