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NHL trade rumors: Top 3 destinations for Joe Thornton

By Dave Stevenson

`TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 7: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on December 7, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)"n
`TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 7: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on December 7, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)"n /
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Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images /

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.

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