Should Joe Thornton pull a Ray Bourque in an attempt to win the Stanley Cup?

[kingdok]

but they wouldn't just give that team Thornton. They'd have to lose good players to do it.

Of course it depends what they give up but I was going under the assumption that they wouldn't give up an important core player for a UFA who wants out because he thinks he has a better chance at the Cup with another team (and I'm not saying he will but just going with the premise of the thread). Let's say Tampa trades for him. They send Killorn, a 1st and a good prospect. Value is fair (or not really but that's not what I'm debating) but the short term impact of Thornton is much greater. So this new lineup of Tampa is better then the current Sharks one.

 

[kingdok]

Thornton is better than Stastny.

He said Peter, not Paul

 

[mpp9]

Name one single team that can fit Thornton in AND is more of a contender than the Sharks currently are.

With the Subban move, I think Nashville could beat you with their roster as is. Add Thornton, and I think they become a Cup favorite.

 

[hohosaregood]

With the Subban move, I think Nashville could beat you with their roster as is. Add Thornton, and I think they become a Cup favorite.

As long as they have Rinne playing like he has the last couple years, I can't consider them favorites.

 

[SmCurse]

No. Neither should have Bourque. I'm a black and white guy. You live and die with your team. I went a bit overboard but you know what I mean...sometimes it is just a metallic pot with a lot of engraving.

 

[Gargyn]

Are you kidding? The east has TB pens the Panthers, maybe the caps

The west has the Hawks the kings the press the stars I am even tempted to put Calgary there since they actually have a goalie now and if you add Joe then you have

Monahan
Thornton

Down the middle and THAT would be incredible

Ha there Re a few teams in the west that are better than SJ

Lol at thinking the Kings are better or the Stars...and lmao at the Flames. Wake up with the Kings, its not 2013 anymore. Flames i dont even know what to say and until the Stars get a goalie and defence, they are not a threat. Hawks have e dangerous forwards. 3.

 

[Rorschach]

I think you're misunderstanding the logic.

Let's say San Jose is a contender right now and Nashville is a contender right now. If Nashville were to add Jumbo Joe, they would be more of a contender than a San Jose team with Joe. It's not simply because they'd be a better team, but Thornton would have a better chance to win a cup

From a neutral fan's point of view I will say that a team that made the final and didn't get steamrolled there, minus Thornton, is equal to a team that maybe might make the final but never has.

So Nashville, if they make the final and lose this year, they will look superior to the current Sharks with Thornton.

Until that happens, and that's a BIG IF, San Jose is the best spot for Joe to Joe.

 

[Rorschach]

Lol at thinking the Kings are better or the Stars...and lmao at the Flames. Wake up with the Kings, its not 2013 anymore. Flames i dont even know what to say and until the Stars get a goalie and defence, they are not a threat. Hawks have e dangerous forwards. 3.

If you look at the Sharks minus Thornton and the Kings of today, the Kings have every core position has an equivalent or better player. On top of that, it's one of the few teams that would put Joe in the complementary role. Sharks do have superior quality depth.

Dallas could put Joe in a complementary role of 2nd/3rd center but that team, playoffs-wise is worse than the Sharks.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

You see, where Ray Bourque was a winner stuck on teams that couldn't go the distance, Joe Thornton is a loser who time and time again actively fails to carry his team when they need him to. So even if he pulls a Ray Bourque, the team that gets him will instantly regret it when he pulls a tin man in the playoffs.

I just don't understand the need people seem to have to pull these types of mental gymnastics to fit whatever narrative they've been fed by a bunch of washed-up hockey "analysts".

 

[tony d]

LOL at calling Thornton a loser. Guy's a great talent, any team would be lucky to have him.

 

[CanadienShark]

Lots of teams would become better contenders than the Sharks are now if they added Thornton to their lineup.

So who (without sending any cap back) can take on Thornton and would be a better team than the Sharks are? "Lots" isn't the answer I'm looking for.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

The answer is no.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

I think we can have this conversation once he fails to become a star player and the Sharks enter rebuild mode. Right now they are in the thick of contention, so why would he leave?

 

[nmbr_24]

i.e Request a trade to a cup favorite

He would probably go down as the best player ever never to win one. Ovechkin could surpass him in that too, but Ovechkin has some time left with a young contending team.

Joe and the Sharks are most liklely on the downswing at this point. Him and Marleau are getting old and time might have run out in winning in SJ. IMO, Sharks are too old and just not good enough, their window has closed. Yes I know, they just made the SCF last year but I just don't see them repeating it.

Joe's cap hit is a modest 6.5 and not 10.5 like Toews/Kane so he should easily fit onto any team, money wise.

Where would be the prime destination for Joe in this scenario? You'd have to assume almost any team would love to add Joe to their center depth and San Jose would probably due him a favor and trade him to his primary destination if it could work out.

If the Sharks are out of the playoffs maybe but if they are in the playoffs he will have as good of a chance as he would with many other teams. Are they going to trade him at the deadline and hurt their own chances of competing for a cup? I doubt that would happen.

 

[kingdok]

So who (without sending any cap back) can take on Thornton and would be a better team than the Sharks are? "Lots" isn't the answer I'm looking for.

At the trade deadline? Since his cap hit would be the third or something of what it is, lots (hehe). Seriously, maybe not "lots", but several good teams could afford his cap hit at that time. And yes, Sharks might have to take on an expiring contract (doesn't have to be big), but I don't see why they wouldn't do it if they want to make it happen.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

he looked tired in the final, he doesn't fit well with fast teams like the pens, hawks, and lightning

 

[Bouma Fett*]

I think he wants to stay in San Jose. He might consider going to a different team as a FA if the Sharks will only offer him a one year deal, but if they'll give him a 2/3 year deal I think he's going to stay there 100%

 

[bambamcam4ever]

He said Peter, not Paul

Well aware.

 

[Mattb124]

Thornton choked his way all the way to the SCFs last year.

 

[Crease]

It's been pointed out, but I'll restate it: In the cap era, it's hard for a stacked team to pile on futher at the deadline.

 

[x Tame Impala]

He's already on a cup favorite team. The Sharks are as good as anybody in the league except for the Penguins.

 

[Analyst365]

Not many players can hoor themselves out full on Ray Bourque style

 

[2advanced4u]

Uhh well San Jose is defenitely a legit contender.

 

[Machinehead]

Unless he's moving to Pittburgh, which I don't see because of their center situation, he's in as good a position in San Jose as anywhere else.

 

[Hivemind]

The one intriguing possibility I could think of would be Nashville. They have $6.6M in cap space available, so they could acquire him essentially entirely for futures. It's hard to say whether or not Nashville+Thornton would be better than San Jose is currently, but you could definitely make a case for that line-up being one of the top 2 or 3 contenders for the Cup. Being able to roll Johansen, Thornton, Ribeiro, Fisher down the middle would give them arguably the best overall center group in hockey (a world of difference for what Nashville historically has had). Plus they'd have some pretty solid wingers for both of their top centers in Neal and Forsberg.