Post by IAMCAPER on Dec 1, 2005 9:25:55 GMT -4
BOSTON - The struggling Boston Bruins traded captain Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night in exchange for three players.
The Bruins get forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart for Thornton, who signed a three-year, $20 million contract with Boston in August and was once thought to be the future of the franchise.
"Players like Joe Thornton don't come available very often," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said. "He's a big, physical guy with a lot of ability. He also knows a lot of our players very well. He should fit in well with our group.
"He's a special guy. The combination of he and (Patrick) Marleau down the middle should be very strong for us."
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Thornton, a three-time All-Star, had been the key to the Bruins' offense. He scored more than 20 goals in each of his last five NHL seasons, including two with 30 or more. In 2003-04, he led the team in scoring with 23 goals and 50 assists.
This season, the 26-year-old Thornton has nine goals and 24 assists for Boston, which has lost nine of its last 10 games and is in last place in the Northeast Division.
"We felt we needed to shake up the team and sometimes you have to make some difficult decisions to better the team," Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said in a statement. "We feel we received three players who can help us immediately."
San Jose lost to Dallas 4-1 on Wednesday night. The Sharks, last in the Pacific Division, are 0-7-3 in their last 10 games.
Sturm, Primeau, and Stuart, all first-round picks, are expected to play for Boston on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.
The 27-year-old Sturm has six goals and 10 assists this season, second-highest for the Sharks. He had a career-high 28 goals in the 2002-03 season.
Primeau, 29, has five goals and three assists this season. He has 563 career penalty minutes.
The 26-year-old Stuart, who has two goals and 10 assists, finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy as top rookie following the 1999-00 season, in which he had 10 goals and 26 assists.
The Bruins get forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart for Thornton, who signed a three-year, $20 million contract with Boston in August and was once thought to be the future of the franchise.
"Players like Joe Thornton don't come available very often," San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said. "He's a big, physical guy with a lot of ability. He also knows a lot of our players very well. He should fit in well with our group.
"He's a special guy. The combination of he and (Patrick) Marleau down the middle should be very strong for us."
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Thornton, a three-time All-Star, had been the key to the Bruins' offense. He scored more than 20 goals in each of his last five NHL seasons, including two with 30 or more. In 2003-04, he led the team in scoring with 23 goals and 50 assists.
This season, the 26-year-old Thornton has nine goals and 24 assists for Boston, which has lost nine of its last 10 games and is in last place in the Northeast Division.
"We felt we needed to shake up the team and sometimes you have to make some difficult decisions to better the team," Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said in a statement. "We feel we received three players who can help us immediately."
San Jose lost to Dallas 4-1 on Wednesday night. The Sharks, last in the Pacific Division, are 0-7-3 in their last 10 games.
Sturm, Primeau, and Stuart, all first-round picks, are expected to play for Boston on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.
The 27-year-old Sturm has six goals and 10 assists this season, second-highest for the Sharks. He had a career-high 28 goals in the 2002-03 season.
Primeau, 29, has five goals and three assists this season. He has 563 career penalty minutes.
The 26-year-old Stuart, who has two goals and 10 assists, finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy as top rookie following the 1999-00 season, in which he had 10 goals and 26 assists.
