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Sharks Win Jumbo Joe Giveaway |
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December 1, 2005, 10:24 AM ET
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Hey what's that floating up the Charles River! Looks like a pair of heads. Hold on, that's Mike O'Connell and Harry Sinden.
Boston Bruins fans have every right to feel cheated and downright numb this morning. It all stinks! Sure, the B's were in a rut and owner Jeremy Jacobs was getting antsy, but why such a kneejerk reaction? The facts - Joe Thornton is still only 26 years old and already an established franchise player with one 100-point season on the resume. But someone forgot to remind Mike and Harry that the NHL is a keeper league.
One has to wonder if management actually understood what kind of special talent they just gave away. Even Thornton's agent, J.P. Barry, questioned this after the B's made their initial contract offer during the summer. Speaking to the Canadian Press, Barry said "Joe Thornton is one of the very best hockey players in the world. He is an elite franchise player and if he accepts his qualifying offer, he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer at only 26 years old. This is a very unique situation. The multi-year offer Boston has made is actually less than Joe's qualifying offer. It makes you wonder if they truly understand what kind of hockey player they have with Joe."
Well, I think we just got the answer to that J.P.
Even upon re-signing Thornton to a three-year, $20-million deal in August, GM Mike O'Connell sounded like he needed to offer some kind of reassurance to the fans and the Thornton party. ''Joe's signing was a priority and we are again making clear how much he means to this franchise. He is among the upper echelon of players in our league and he just continues to get better"
From the start, the Bruins tried to force-feed Joe the captaincy, handing him the reigns long before he had actually earned the honour. It's evident following Thornton's career that he is not a natural born leader, but merely a skilled and powerful hockey player with superstar potential. Some nights, he's a superstar.
On the opposite coast, Sharks fans should rub their rabbit's feet, buy lottery tickets and revel today over a dream deal cooked up by wily GM Doug Wilson. Can you say Executive of the Year? It's no secret he was trying to move Marco Sturm (23-6-10-16) and had grown weary of massively underachieving rearguard Brad Stuart (23-2-10-12). Throw in 8-point center Wayne Primeau, and Wilson just cleared the fences.
So, if I was the Bruins general manager, what would I want for Joe Thornton? Well, just off the top of the head, let's start with Denver University captain Matt Carle and your first-round picks for 2006 and 2007. You can keep Stuart. We'll take Sturm off your hands though - for some immediate help. Sort of reasonably priced at $2-million per annum and signed through '06-7, Sturm is fast and also a solid citizen.
But the real gem is Matt Carle. There's a reason why Denver have won the last two NCAA national titles. Carle is worth the price of admission and projects to be the take-charge leader that Brad Stuart likely will never be. Carle steps up when the game is on the line and is, in my opinion, among the most underrated prospects on the planet. We ranked him 27th on the Top Prospects poll published in the McKeen's Hockey Pool Yearbook this summer.
No only did San Jose land an elite NHL forward, they also cleared a path for Matt Carle.
Hat's off to Mr. Wilson!
