Where to Go for Jumbo Joe

Joe Thornton’s best prospects to bet on for his remaining championship hopes

A 6’4” man with a giant heart for the game of hockey and winning still drags with him the weight of not yet profiting from hockey’s biggest prize in 22 years of NHL competition. To hopefully ensure a peaceful mind for retirement in regards to his career, he must win the prized Stanley Cup in the next few years…

The major question that most-likely currently stands in the mind of Thornton and NHL followers: Which team should Thornton sign with to win his championship lottery?

To conclude the team that Thornton should sign his hopes to, we should look at Thornton’s probable contract terms, the team’s potential cap space and the club’s consistency of grabbing wins yearly.

Based on his most-recent-1-year-contract with San Jose for 2 million dollars; I would expect that his next agreement will consist of similar terms. It wouldn’t surprise me if he even takes a little bit of a decrease in pay depending on how bad he wishes to sign with a particular team. His most recent point production, skill set, and leadership warrants, in my opinion, the 2 million per year, despite his upcoming age of 41.

Teams in the current season’s playoff hunt that should hold enough cap space barring a possible trade, a missed restricted free agent signing, etc.:

Boston Bruins

Calgary Flames

Columbus Blue Jackets

Colorado Avalanche

Dallas Stars

Florida Panthers

Nashville Predators

New York Islanders

Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vancouver Canucks

Vegas Golden Knights

Washington Capitals

Winnipeg Jets

I choose three of the above-listed teams that “Jumbo Joe” should take a long look at before signing a new deal. These teams give him the highest probability of properly “sealing the envelope” on his likely-Hall-of-Fame career.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins squad has been sniffing around the cup for the better part of the last decade. They even clinched in 2011. With reappearances back to the finals in 2013 against the Blackhawks and last year against St. Louis; some experts argue that their cup window is closing with players such as Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand approaching the end of their prime.

Would adding another player who is out of their prime be a bad ingredient in the ‘Big Bad’ concoction? Quite arguably, it might not serve the best fit for the organization. Say though that a certain player or two of the Bruin’s core were no longer to dawn the black and yellow sweater?

The centerpiece the team built around for years, Zdeno Chara, is an unrestricted free agent this upcoming season. If Chara decides to call it quits, does that give “Jumbo Joe” some shoes to fill?

Although he can’t replace the history and legacy that Chara put down in Boston; I can’t think of anyone better to fill a probable-Hall-of-Famer’s shoes than that of former Bruin in Joe Thornton.

Philadelphia Flyers

The “Broad Street Bullies” currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. With their last Stanley Cup Finals appearance played a decade ago, the team rebuilt the components to potentially enter the back end of the playoff season for consistent years to come.

Albeit not handling any playoff games as of yet, Carter Hart should provide the backbone necessary for a long run in the playoffs as long as he stays with the team. Additionally, Claude Giroux skates with the best of players. We’ve seen Giroux with an above 100-point season not only three years ago and almost again the following year.

Led by Provorov and Niskanen, the defence; solid in structure with perhaps only room for improvement in depth players at the position. Add into the mix top-team-point-producer Konecny and you have a dangerous problem to overcome if you are the opposing team to the Flyers.

Several players, most notably Justin Braun, are turning to unrestricted-free-agency after the current season ends. With room in the cap to get the mix just right for a cup run, Thornton would blend perfectly with the team in a third-line-role.

Also, there seems to be a notable lack of people who have won the cup before with other teams. The only player that owns a cup ring on this squad is Matt Niskanen.

Pittsburgh Penguins

91, 92, 09, 16, and 17. Five times this club made it four rounds deep and won in the ever so gruelling battle for ‘Lord Stanley.’

Their 3 most recent cups were won with the help of Penguin core stars Sydney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. All three players are contracted in The Steel City for at least the next three years and are considered as some of the best in the league.

Not to mention, a longtime former teammate of Thornton’s, Patrick Marleau, recently signed a one-year deal with the Pens for the 19–20 season. Barring Marleau signs a new deal with General Manager Jim Rutherford, the former dynamic tandem would likely reunite on the ice.

Bringing players in to complement Crosby and Malkin would not be the first time Rutherford has done so. He brought in Phil Kessel in a past season. Although Thornton and Marleau are no longer high-calibre players; the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Mike DeFabo says “the one thing that defines Rutherford’s career is that he’s not afraid to make a deal.”

Thornton and Marleau signing deals with the Penguins team should serve no exception to that statement, especially with the cap space that should open up and the wisdom the team could gain from the two. Justin Schultz, Conor Sheary, and Chad Ruhwedel are turning to unrestricted-free-agency after this season.

Many players along with them are turning restricted-free-agents this upcoming season. With Schultz coming towards free agency, it is quite unlikely he will be signed again since his numbers this year don’t seem to warrant the 6-million he received this season.