Speculation: Joe Thornton

[Flamesjustwin]

No one's betting against that notion, as the odds of that are already slim. Just don't think 1 year, near the end of Joe's career, playing outside of a state he's going to retire is some fantastical scenario.

But like you said, you know Jumbo Joe on a personal level.

I am not Joe so I guess I can't guarantee anything but I do know his heart is in SJ and I really don't think he cares about his name on Lord Stanley as much as where he is currently living and where his life is now. From the conversations I have been a part of I think he would retire before leaving California. Guys can change their mind I suppose but I really highly doubt it. Some players just get comfortable somewhere and that is where they want to play. Like Shane Doan did.

 

[BBB24]

Come back to Boston Jumbo.

Stay the hell away from Boston choking Joe

 

[Gecklund]

Stay the hell away from Boston choking Joe

Lol I was waiting for this. Joe isn’t a choker. He has never had the supporting cast. Only time he did, they went to the finals and then half their supporting cast got hurt.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Stay the hell away from Boston choking Joe

His current salary is helping that notion.

 

[Baby Punisher]

He goes to the Rangers to play with a newly signed Kovy to give the Rangers the 1-2 punch they need.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

He goes to the Rangers to play with a newly signed Kovy to give the Rangers the 1-2 punch they need.

And with Georgiev in net, the team will be a beast.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Decline usually takes years to set in, first it goes slow then all of a sudden. The Sharks youth is not nearly acceptable without the veteran supporting cast. Contrast that with CBJ, where they have youth, size, upside everywhere up front, two franchise defensemen, etc. they basically look like the Jets before the Laine lottery pick and have major upside.

Sharks have two franchise defensemen in Vlasic and Burns. Tierney, Labanc, Hertl, Meier are all under 24 and have either better or comparable scoring to PLD, Bjorkstrand, Wennberg and Anderson.

Under 24 crowd up front with >20 points:

	Sharks	Blue Jackets
1.	Hertl, 42 points	PLD, 37 points
2.	Labanc, 38 points	Bjorkstrand, 37 points
3.	Tierney, 36 points	Wennberg, 31 points
4.	Meier, 31 points	Anderson, 29 points

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

24-30 crowd up front with >20 points:

	Sharks	Blue Jackets
1.	Couture, 54 points	Panarin, 63 points
2.	Boedker, 31 points	Atkinson, 33 points
3.	Donskoi, 31 points	Foligno, 29 points
4.		Jenner, 26 points

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

And that doesn't even include Evander Kane is we re-sign him, who is only 26. Sharks have started to turn over their roster. Yes they still have Pavelski and Thornton getting points, but the youth has stepped up this year, and people who keep saying the Sharks are going to nosedive don't realize that this team can still function with Jumbo.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Really hoping he at least considers Toronto on a one year deal. He'd likely be the third line center and facing easy competition. He'd have shortage of wingers to play with. That being said, it's a longshot. He's very comfortable in San Jose and it seems like he values that more than anything.

 

[Gecklund]

Really hoping he at least considers Toronto on a one year deal. He'd likely be the third line center and facing easy competition. He'd have shortage of wingers to play with. That being said, it's a longshot. He's very comfortable in San Jose and it seems like he values that more than anything.

If by some miracle Sharks sign Tavares Thornton would be a third line C too.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

If by some miracle Sharks sign Tavares Thornton would be a third line C too.

Yes. Unfortunately, the Sharks have limited cap space.

 

[Gecklund]

Yes. Unfortunately, the Sharks have limited cap space.

They could get it done if they move some of their dead weight. They also have lots of cap space already. They need to let Hansen and Ward walk. Get rid of Boedker (who would be a little bit of a loss since he’s playing well), Karlsson and Martin. Then they’ll have enough space for Kane, Thornton, and Tavares, and also resign their RFAs

They could also just let Kane walk and resign Thornton and Tavares and keep Boedker or Karlsson.

 

[Stephen]

Sharks have two franchise defensemen in Vlasic and Burns. Tierney, Labanc, Hertl, Meier are all under 24 and have either better or comparable scoring to PLD, Bjorkstrand, Wennberg and Anderson.

Under 24 crowd up front with >20 points:

	Sharks	Blue Jackets
1.	Hertl, 42 points	PLD, 37 points
2.	Labanc, 38 points	Bjorkstrand, 37 points
3.	Tierney, 36 points	Wennberg, 31 points
4.	Meier, 31 points	Anderson, 29 points

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

24-30 crowd up front with >20 points:

	Sharks	Blue Jackets
1.	Couture, 54 points	Panarin, 63 points
2.	Boedker, 31 points	Atkinson, 33 points
3.	Donskoi, 31 points	Foligno, 29 points
4.		Jenner, 26 points

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

And that doesn't even include Evander Kane is we re-sign him, who is only 26. Sharks have started to turn over their roster. Yes they still have Pavelski and Thornton getting points, but the youth has stepped up this year, and people who keep saying the Sharks are going to nosedive don't realize that this team can still function with Jumbo.

It's not really my intention to trash San Jose, since I'm just making a comment about the life cycle of a franchise and relative age of the core, but to use an example, the Canadiens are toast and two of their big franchise players are Weber and Price. That's the same age bracket as Vlasic and Burns.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

They could get it done if they move some of their dead weight. They also have lots of cap space already. They need to let Hansen and Ward walk. Get rid of Boedker (who would be a little bit of a loss since he’s playing well), Karlsson and Martin. Then they’ll have enough space for Kane, Thornton, and Tavares, and also resign their RFAs

Yeah, but let's say they get rid of all of those players. What if Tavares signs with another team? Wouldn't it be better to have Tavares in the team before all of those players are traded? Realistically, that is impossible, because San Jose only has $3M cap space.

 

[Gecklund]

Yeah, but let's say they get rid of all of those players. What if Tavares signs with another team? Wouldn't it be better to have Tavares in the team before all of those players are traded? Realistically, that is impossible, because San Jose only has $3M cap space.

There’s so much cleared out this summer. Close to 18M with Thornton, Hansen, Ward, and Kane going to UFA. So basically they could use that week between the draft and FA to see what’s going on with Tavares. If he’s not willing to sign at all then they’ll know by July 1. Then they can go in and sign Kane and Thornton and possibly another forward (not really necessary but could be nice). If he’s willing to sign then try to get Thornton and Kane to take discounts.

Also the only player that should be on the team next season from that list is Boedker possibly. The rest aren’t good or are made obsolete by other players.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

There’s so much cleared out this summer. Close to 18M with Thornton, Hansen, Ward, and Kane going to UFA. So basically they could use that week between the draft and FA to see what’s going on with Tavares. If he’s not willing to sign at all then they’ll know by July 1. Then they can go in and sign Kane and Thornton and possibly another forward (not really necessary but could be nice). If he’s willing to sign then try to get Thornton and Kane to take discounts.

Ah, okay. Since I have respect for the Sharks, I'd say good luck in signing him.

 

[Gecklund]

Ah, okay. Since I have respect for the Sharks, I'd say good luck in signing him.

Thanks! With Tavares we would be contenders for the cup for many years!

 

[Kcoyote3]

It's not really my intention to trash San Jose, since I'm just making a comment about the life cycle of a franchise and relative age of the core, but to use an example, the Canadiens are toast and two of their big franchise players are Weber and Price. That's the same age bracket as Vlasic and Burns.

And three years ago our two biggest franchise players were Marleau and Thornton. Well we've been without Marleau this whole year and Thornton has been injured for almost half the season. And the Sharks are still winning.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

And three years ago our two biggest franchise players were Marleau and Thornton. Well we've been without Marleau this whole year and Thornton has been injured for almost half the season. And the Sharks are still winning.

Sharks have invested well on their young players and prospects, not to mention satisfactory goaltending.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Bury his bones, preserve the beard.

Absolutely right! That Beard needs to be put in a frame and placed in the lockerroom with lit candles on either side, for inspiration.

 

[Juxtaposer]

It's not really my intention to trash San Jose, since I'm just making a comment about the life cycle of a franchise and relative age of the core, but to use an example, the Canadiens are toast and two of their big franchise players are Weber and Price. That's the same age bracket as Vlasic and Burns.

And yet the Sharks still win, which makes them wildly different from the Canadiens. Every one told us we’d falter without Marleau, but Meier came in and is essentially performing the same as Marleau and is on the upswing. Thornton went down and we were told that we’d have a tough time making the playoffs. But we’re still comfortably in 2nd place in our division because everyone else has stepped up. Everyone told us that we had a trash prospect pool, that we had nothing for the future. Instead, we’ve got a pretty darn strong cast of young forwards in Hertl, Meier, Labanc, Donskoi, and Tierney. Adding that group to Couture, Pavelski, and Kane makes us pretty darn good, without Thornton and without Marleau.

Let me tell you a little secret, since you seem to think that Vlasic and Burns are our big franchise players: they haven’t been that good this year. I wouldn’t even say either of them has been top-3 on the whole team in terms of impact on game results.

People told us that we’d be screwed defensively once Boyle and Blake moved on, way back when. Instead, we traded for Burns and Vlasic took a quantum leap in development. People have been predicting the demise of the Sharks for a half a decade plus. And every time, they’re wrong. Do you remember how many people predicted the Sharks would miss the playoffs the year that they made the Cup Final? It was a damn lot.

But sure, compare us to the Canadiens, who traded their franchise player away for a worse, older player. Give your head a shake man.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

If by some miracle Sharks sign Tavares Thornton would be a third line C too.

It isn't realistic at all. Every NHL club will inquire about Tavares.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

And yet the Sharks still win, which makes them wildly different from the Canadiens. Every one told us we’d falter without Marleau, but Meier came in and is essentially performing the same as Marleau and is on the upswing. Thornton went down and we were told that we’d have a tough time making the playoffs. But we’re still comfortably in 2nd place in our division because everyone else has stepped up. Everyone told us that we had a trash prospect pool, that we had nothing for the future. Instead, we’ve got a pretty darn strong cast of young forwards in Hertl, Meier, Labanc, Donskoi, and Tierney. Adding that group to Couture, Pavelski, and Kane makes us pretty darn good, without Thornton and without Marleau.

Let me tell you a little secret, since you seem to think that Vlasic and Burns are our big franchise players: they haven’t been that good this year. I wouldn’t even say either of them has been top-3 on the whole team in terms of impact on game results.

People told us that we’d be screwed defensively once Boyle and Blake moved on, way back when. Instead, we traded for Burns and Vlasic took a quantum leap in development. People have been predicting the demise of the Sharks for a half a decade plus. And every time, they’re wrong. Do you remember how many people predicted the Sharks would miss the playoffs the year that they made the Cup Final? It was a damn lot.

But sure, compare us to the Canadiens, who traded their franchise player away for a worse, older player. Give your head a shake man.

You really juxtaposed the Canadiens to the Sharks.

 

[Gecklund]

It isn't realistic at all. Every NHL club will inquire about Tavares.

I literally said it would be a miracle. Never said it was realistic. Obviously it isn’t realistic at all but you can definitely see the appeal of going to San Jose.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

I literally said it would be a miracle. Never said it was realistic. Obviously it isn’t realistic at all but you can definitely see the appeal of going to San Jose.

It's slightly realistic. Some articles tell me San Jose is a possible destination for him.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

I literally said it would be a miracle. Never said it was realistic. Obviously it isn’t realistic at all but you can definitely see the appeal of going to San Jose.

I know what you said. I just see a lot of fan bases fantasizing about signing him, including my fanbase. Even if Tavares is interested in your team(any team), man will that contract be insane. The kind of contract that could be a back breaker in a few years. It's tough to find a 7-8 year contract that was signed at his age that was a homerun.