Pittsburgh Penguins: Could Joe Thornton Help the Penguins?

With the Pittsburgh Penguins playoff run over and the offseason officially underway, it’s time to start thinking about new possibilities and additions to this roster.

The Pittsburgh Penguins couldn’t complete the three-peat that so many people anticipated. Although we lost to the Washington Capitals in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, our roster is still very strong and can surely keep competing for Cups for several more years.

However, retooling is always needed, and improvement can always be made. One of the key aspects of the offseason is free agency and the ability to lure and sign new players.

One free agent who could potentially find his way to Pittsburgh is Joe Thornton. The 38-year-old1997 first overall pick and former captain of the San Jose Sharks signed a one-year contract with the Sharks last season and will once again be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The Penguins could be looking to sign him, but some changes would need to be made in order to pick him up. It’s been a pipe dream for Penguins fans to bring Thornton here. But why would we need him and what would he bring to the table?

Improving the Team

If we look at the Penguins roster right now, there’s not an immediate need for Joe Thornton to be signed. All of last season, the Penguins struggled to find a third-line centre to replace Nick Bonino who left for the Nashville Predators during last year’s offseason.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season would have been the best time to have Joe Thornton on our team. He could have been the perfect replacement for Bonino on that third line. Just thinking of a centre core of Sidney Crosby, Egveni Malkin and Joe Thornton makes most Penguins fans excited.

However, the Penguins ended up trying to solve the third-line centre problem by picking up Derick Brassard at the trade deadline. Although Brassard was supposed to replace Bonino and maybe actually be an improvement, he was slow to adjust to his new team and his effect on the Penguins was quite minimal.

Now, if the Penguins want to improve after a shortened playoff run, they may want to consider replacing Brassard with Thornton. This could be a great improvement to our centre core and the perfect final replacement for Bonino. However of course, for this to happen the Penguins would first need to move Derick Brassard to make cap room. Although right now this is all entirely just my idea of a plan to improve the Penguins, it’s something that management may actually consider.

Is the Improvement Needed?

Ultimately however, the decision that Penguins management have to make is whether or not they want to take the gamble of signing Thornton. He’s not an immediate need because we now have Derick Brassard. As well, Brassard is only 30 years old compared to Thornton’s aging 38-year-old body. Injuries are a risk with his age and the gamble might not pay off.

Let me know what you think. Would Joe Thornton be a good fit in Pittsburgh? Should the team take a gamble on signing him?