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.
Stranger things have happened, though.