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Anaheim Ducks Rumor Rundown: Free Agent “Jumbo” Joe Thornton

By Ed Stein

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 18: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks and Ryan Kesler #17 of the Anaheim Ducks face off during a NHL game at SAP Center at San Jose on March 18, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 18: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks and Ryan Kesler #17 of the Anaheim Ducks face off during a NHL game at SAP Center at San Jose on March 18, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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For 29 NHL teams, the off-season has already started. It’s a time of year ripe with speculation. This week we take a look at some of the juicier rumors floating around the Anaheim Ducks.

One of the things you have to love about Anaheim Ducks General Manager Bob Murray is his ability to keep quiet. 99% of the time, fans don’t know a deal is happening until it goes through. That’s why it’s always best to take Ducks trade and free agent chatter with a grain of salt. That said, I thought it might be fun to break down some of the rumors about the Ducks floating around cyberspace. We start with Joe Thornton.

Priced Out and Headed Out?

Jumbo Joe is a free agent again. Last summer San Jose chose to keep Thornton for 1year, $8M and let Patrick Marleau leave for Toronto. This year, the Sharks gave a seven-year, $49M contract to left wing Evander Kane. The big center could become this summer’s version of Marleau.

Thornton’s 2017-18 season ended on January 23 when he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee. San Jose only has $7.5M left under the salary cap for 2018-19. They still have restricted free agents Dylan DeMelo, Tomas Hertl, and Chris Tierney left to sign. Unless Thornton is willing to play for a million or two next season, he’s out of San Jose’s price range. Why would they eat up most of their remaining cap space on him?

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Replacing RK17 Next Season

Enter the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Kesler‘s status is in doubt for this season due to the fact he’d sit out to rehabilitate his ailing hip. Joe Thornton would be an ideal replacement for 2018-19, if healthy. The Ducks can furlough RK17’s $6.875M salary this year by placing him on long-term injured reserve. An in-state friendly contract between $4M-$5M could actually give the Ducks more cap room than had Kesler been able to play.

Thornton is a more than capable replacement in the faceoff circle. For their careers, Kesler has won 54.3% of his draws, while Thornton has won 53.3%. Kesler’s forte is as a shutdown center. Thornton is no slouch defensively either, finishing inside the top 20 of Selke voting five times, including a fifth-place finish two seasons ago.

On the offensive end, the London, Ontario native is 16th all-time 1427 career points. He’s also 12th all-time in assists with 1030. A good year could shoot him up all the way to seventh. Last season, Thornton had the far superior offensive season scoring 36 points in 47 games compared to Kesler’s 14 points in 40 games.

The Wrap

If Kesler is indeed out for the season, the Ducks won’t have to look far to find his replacement. Also, should Patrick Eaves come back and play on Thornton’s right side, maybe they could talk the third member of their line into growing a beard. Then they could become the “House of David” line.

Next: Ducks want to skate faster, but are some of their players holding them back?

There will be Ducks fans out there who think adding a hated rival like Thornton is heresy. They should remember that Roger Clemens played for the Yankees, Nick Saban went from LSU to Alabama, and Eric Lindros played for the Rangers.

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