By J.D. Lagrange, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

After learning that the San Jose Sharks had taken the captaincy away from Joe Thornton, many hockey fans were somewhat surprised. After all, they have recently agreed to a contract extension for three more seasons with the big veteran center. Although they had done the same with Patrick Marleau a few years ago, seeing the captaincy removed from a current veteran roster player is not common practice among NHL teams, certainly not doing it to your last two captains as the Sharks have done!

PENTICTON, BC. – While Thornton has had the reputation of not performing in the playoffs, he has shaken that stigma in the last few seasons and he is certainly not the one who should have the finger pointed at, in my opinion, for the Sharks lack of playoff success in the last two or three years. He has raised his game, became grittier while excelling on faceoffs, not shying away from the physical play. And this got me thinking…

On my Twitter feed (@Habsterix), I asked a simple question:

https://twitter.com/Habsterix/status/502216177402146816

Despite knowing Tomas Plekanec’s popularity in Montreal (rightfully so), I wasn’t surprised to see mixed reactions. We saw some drastic responses from both sides and some closer responses which have to be expected when talking about a player of Thornton’s caliber. As it has been almost a decade since Big Joe has played for the Bruins in the Eastern Conference, rare are those back East who have had a chance (or taken the time) to watch the Sharks play in the West at a time when most are in bed or are hitting the bar scene.

Thornton has carried a “playoff choker” reputation for a long time and in the East, he seems to still carry that same reputation in the eyes of many. However, those who have followed the Sharks will tell you that in the last couple of playoffs, he has been performed extremely well but others on the team have not fared so well. It happens. In order to win a Stanley Cup, every player in each their own role must be at the top of their game. Even Sidney Crosby was almost a non-factor for the Penguins last year in the playoffs, and Thornton is not at Crosby’s level to carry a team on his shoulders. Thornton could not play goal and goaltending was a big, big problem for the Sharks last year. At age 35, Big Joe is still an excellent contributor and he realizes that his window to win that elusive Stanley Cup is closing rather rapidly as his career is closing in to the inevitable retirement.

I want to get back to that stigma of “playoff choker” attached to Thornton when mentioning a hypothetical trade with the Canadiens for Plekanec. While it would be unfair to Plekanec to compare regular seasons’ stats between him and the Sharks’ big centerman, I was curious to see their playoffs’ stats side by side and here’s what I found:

I wish I could have found the faceoff percentage as well as Thornton is excellent in that category, which is key to get puck possession instead of giving it to the opponent.

What if they were key pieces in a trade?

By removing his captaincy, it seems like the message, although mix due to his contract extension, is rather clear: the Sharks wouldn’t mind making a change in leadership on their team. This is not saying that Thornton is not a good leader but the team has not lived up to the expectations put on them, at least not in the playoffs, based on the quality of team they have put together and the regular season results in the last few years. Like the Canadiens did with Brian Gionta and Josh Gorges, the Sharks may feel like they have enough young cornerstones to build their new leadership around with the likes of Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, to be able to afford parting ways with the guy who the fans relate as being the face of their franchise.

Tomas Plekanec is a big part of the Montreal Canadiens and has been for several years. He is an excellent defensive player who can pitch in offensively when given the chance. As an excellent skater, I believe that he would receive serious considerations as a Selke Trophy nominee if only he was better at the faceoff dot due to the position that he plays. He has always been referred to as a “true pro.”

Let’s take a minute to compare the two players:

If a trade was consummated between Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson and Habs’ GM Marc Bergevin, the Canadiens as a team would lose in speed, age and short-handed/defensive responsibility (although they picked up Manny Malhotra.) They would also be taking on more salary (although it would likely not be a one for one trade.) Thornton would however automatically become the team’s top centerman, far ahead David Desharnais and Lars Eller, he would improve the powerplay and he would be one of the best on faceoffs, taking key draws in the offensive zone while Malhotra would do the same in the defensive zone. He would also make the team much bigger and grittier, especially up the middle.

While some Habs fans are thinking that they would not trade for Thornton as it meant sending Plekanec the other way, I have little doubt that at the end, the team might benefit more than we think. Of course it’s all speculative and the reason for the article is not to see the feasibility of such a trade, but simply to try to shine some light on the two players involved. Either way, fans cannot wait for training camp to start as it is getting closer by the day!

Go Habs Go!

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