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Post by clear observer on Dec 1, 2005 12:46:52 GMT -5
I can't, for a minute, believe that Thornton wasn't shopped around...in fact, I don't believe it....and those GM's that state they did not receive a call from the Bruins are most-likely those that would not have made a good trading partner.
O'Connell may not be Sammy Pollock, but he's not that foolish, is he?
CO
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Post by TheHabsfan on Dec 1, 2005 12:49:28 GMT -5
I can't, for a minute, believe that Thornton wasn't shopped around...in fact, I don't believe it....and those GM's that state they did not receive a call from the Bruins are most-likely those that would not have made a good trading partner. O'Connell may not be Sammy Pollock, but he's not that foolish, is he? CO <CRICKETS> MOC is crazy...no doubt about it. But I agree with you that it would be extremely irresponsible for a GM to make such a move without looking around ... THF |
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Post by Polarice on Dec 1, 2005 12:58:22 GMT -5
Actually I guess they didn't shop him around... According to Eklund's Blog: v2.hockeybuzz.com/blogworld/blog.aspx?blogger=1&post=726How the trade went down... 12/01/2005 @ 10:27 AM
Well folks, this one really came out of nowhere fast!
Although I failed you on this one big time, nothing makes me angrier than missing something of this magnitude, I am getting information from several sources this morning on how this went down.
Apparently the Bruins decided yesterday morning internally that they may consider moving Joe. They did not talk to anyone about it according to several GMs and sources. Not all in the Bruins organization were on the same page, but "If you are going to move Joe, you had to do it quickly. You don`t leave a guy like this on the market for long," I was told by a Bruins source.
A trade had all but been finalized during the day that would have sent Samsonov and some picks to San Jose for Stuart. The decision had been made that after that deal was made they would quietly put Joe`s name around. They told the Sharks of this, "kind of in passing" and they jumped on it.
The Bruins had become frustrated with Joe`s unwillingness to be a power forward and take the puck to the net. "With the new rules no one could stop him, but he wanted to be Gretzky" a source said.
It is also important to note that Joe has a no-trade clause in years two and three of his deal.
I left the Flyers game after the first period last night, and was driving home to help my wife out with two screaming kids. (I get most of my work done in the two hours prior to the games at the arena, talking to other press guys, media types, scouts, etc...)
When I got home I had two emails from blackberries telling me that the Shark`s players had been taken off the ice in warmups...That tells you how fast and unexpected the inclusion of Thornton was in this deal. The Sharks had to play with 19 guys for crying out loud.
According to another source of mine, "the Rumor is that Joe heard about the trade FIRST from NESN...He made a call to Mike O`Connell at that point, and then he was told he would get a call back very soon. He then went out to eat with his parents, and did get a phone call from the Bruins, but it was well after the deal was made (around 10:45 EST)"
That is how unexpected it was.
I got several responses from Bruins fans. Many negative. But I also heard many Bruins fans complain about Joe`s play recently.
A prominent hockey agent emailed me with this opinion, "The Thornton deal is a mindblower..........How they could not get Marleau back in return is unreal......Stuart will really help the D-fense but the lack of a pure #1 center will hurt them. Bergeron and Zhamnov will need to step up their play considerably..........They fired the Captain instead of the GM!"
This trade is the defining moment for O`Connell, that much is certain. Stuart is what the Bruins needed, and Sturm is a much better player than most of us in the east know.
I want to thank all those who emailed me their thoughts and to the many insiders who kicked in big time to help me piece this much together. What makes Eklund work is the many people on the inside and their emails. Thanks.
More later for sure...
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Post by clear observer on Dec 1, 2005 13:05:22 GMT -5
"Several" does not mean "twenty-nine".
Without having to refer to "supposed sources", I'd bet my left-cashew O'Connell DID make more than a few proposals to other GM's before making this deal with SJ.
With Jacobs and Sinden "on-the-watch", how could he not??
CO
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Post by seventeen on Dec 1, 2005 21:43:29 GMT -5
Another point.
Boston had 3 guys who could legitimately be #1 centres, Thornton, Zhamnov and Bergeron. They didn't get an offensive centre back, basically proving that point. So while they may have lost out on the quality front, they improved in other areas without a big dropoff from thier #1 centre. Both Zhamnov and Bergeron, with more ice time, could put up pretty good numbers.
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Post by Bob on Jan 27, 2006 9:57:06 GMT -5
Hey, that Thornton trade isn't looking as bad as it used to. Boston is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games and has earned 14 out of a possible 20 points.
My point is that it can take a lot of courage to trade a big name player but it can strengthen both teams. Maybe Boston didn't get fleeced as badly as many thought they did.
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