Vegas Golden Knights should haunt Sharks by trading for Jumbo Joe

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – FEBRUARY 20: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on February 20, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sharks 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

It is the NHL Trade Deadline and the Vegas Golden Knights are yet to wake from their slumber.

It has been a busy day across the NHL but the Vegas Golden Knights have been eerily quiet, although there is still plenty of time for them to make a move.

After all, trades can still take place up until 12:00 p.m. PT and there is no doubt that General Manager Kelly McCrimmon and the rest of the front office are hard at work trying to make something happen.

While the Knights have been inactive, there has been a bucketload of activity around the NHL with the New York Rangers re-signing Chris Kreider to a new deal.

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That took the biggest prize off the trade market, hours after the New York Islanders had pulled off a stunning move to send a monster haul over to the Ottawa Senators for center Jean-Gabriel Pageau.

However, there are still some intriguing names in play including the legend that is Joe Thornton, who the San Jose Sharks are believed to be taking calls on today.

And, it is possible that Thornton could be moved after the Sharks traded Patrick Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today in order for the veteran to go and chase a Stanley Cup.

So, should the Vegas Golden Knights be in on Joe Thornton?

After all, the one white whale that has eluded Thornton throughout his illustrious career has been the Stanley Cup, and he won’t get anywhere near it this year given the fact that the Sharks are having a dumpster fire of a season.

It is a trade that would actually make a lot of sense and we’ve quickly run through the pros and cons…

VANCOUVER, BC – JANUARY 18: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks skates with the puck during NHL action against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on January 18, 2020 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Pros to trading for Joe Thornton

As already mentioned, Joe Thornton has yet to get his hands on the Stanley Cup and it is believed that he is keen on being dealt to a contender today.

The Vegas Golden Knights are very much a contender and they could give Thornton the best possible chance of ending his career with a championship, which has so far proved elusive.

This would also be a good trade for the Golden Knights given that they have a real need when it comes to addressing their lack of secondary scoring.

They have struggled to generate much offense from their bottom six all year and, with Cody Glass and Alex Tuch both out, coupled with the trade that sent Cody Eakin to the Winnipeg Jets, they could do with some forward depth.

Thornton would tick that box.

Although he’s nearer the end of his career than he is to the beginning of it, Thornton could slot in as the third-line center for Vegas and provide secondary scoring from the third-line.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 22: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on February 22, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Through 62 games this year, the forward has four goals and 23 assists for 27 points on a bad Sharks team, while he has amassed 1505 points (417 goals, 1088 assists) in 1,628 career games.

He has averaged 15:18 minutes of total ice time this year, while the 40-year-old has a career winning percentage of 54.3 in the faceoff circle.

Thornton could be a key faceoff man for the Knights while providing much-needed depth down the middle heading into the postseason.

He could slot in on the second power play unit and could also be used up and down the lineup when needed to provide an offensive punch.

Also, if Joe Thornton was to win a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights, that would act as a major slap in the face to the San Jose Sharks.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 09: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks smiles after he scored a goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets at SAP Center on January 09, 2020 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Cons to trading for Joe Thornton

First and foremost, Thornton has a no-trade clause and he would have to waive that in order to facilitate a trade.

Would he want to join their hated rivals in the Vegas Golden Knights?

Also, it has been reported by Kevin Kurz of The Athletic that both the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers are chasing Thornton hard.

As a result, the Golden Knights would have to give up a lot in order to persuade the Sharks to trade a franchise icon to a divisional rival.

And, by a lot we mean potentially a couple of second-round picks which would be a hell of a price for a 40-year-old on an expiring contract.

Another caveat is that despite the fact that Thornton only carries a cap hit of $2 million, the Golden Knights are trying to add a puck-moving defenseman so they would have to move someone out first in order to make a trade for the forward possible.

Overall, Joe Thornton being a member of the Vegas Golden Knights would just add another wrinkle to the heated rivalry with the San Jose Sharks.

There is also no doubt that Thornton could add some secondary scoring for the Knights both down the stretch and during the postseason, while bringing some vital experience to the table.

However, the Sharks would likely demand a king’s ransom from the Knights for their franchise icon and there is no guarantee that Thornton would waive his no-trade clause for the Golden Knights.

Next. Golden Knights, it is nice to finally meet you. dark

Stranger things have happened, though.

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