Reports Confirmed That Joe Thornton Was Nearly Traded for Hall-Of-Fame Goalie
Recent reports have just confirmed that Joe Thornton's career almost looked drastically different as he was nearly traded for this Hall of Fame goalie.
Thornton Almost Traded for Luongo in One-For-One Deal
NHL insider Jeff Marek just confirmed reports that the Boston Bruins were extremely close to trading Joe Thornton for Roberto Luongo in a one-for-one deal. Obviously, this never happened, as we know from experience. Apparently, the Panthers had issues with the salary situation resulting from the trade.
Luongo and Thornton Could Have Had Different Looking Careers
Joe Thornton was eventually traded from Boston to San Jose in a blockbuster deal that saw 3 players sent to the Bruins in exchange for Thornton. While Thornton never won a Stanley Cup in San Jose, he did lead the team to the finals in 2016.
Luongo also was eventually traded from the Panthers to the Canucks, in a blockbuster deal that involved Todd Bertuzzi. Luongo, like Thornton, never won a cup in Vancouver but did take them to the 2010-11 Stanley Cup finals.
What a different landscape the NHL would have been if Luongo played for the Bruins and Thornton played for the Panthers (beyond his brief stint in 2021)!
As seen on House of Hockey - "Insider Reveals The Trade Involving Joe Thornton That Nearly Changed NHL History"
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 30 | 42 ANSWERS Reports Confirmed That Joe Thornton Was Nearly Traded for Hall-Of-Fame Goalie Do you think that would have been a good trade? | ||
| Yes | 22 | 52.4 % |
| No | 20 | 47.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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APRIL 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Connor McDavid | - | 4 | 4 | |
| Matthew Savoie | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Robert Thomas | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Steven Stamkos | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| William Eklund | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mikael Granlund | - | 3 | 3 | |
| John Klingberg | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Filip Forsberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Colton Dach | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Will Smith | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| John Carlson | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Luke Evangelista | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Dylan Holloway | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ryan Ufko | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Zach Whitecloud | - | 2 | 2 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 81 | 54 | 16 | 11 | 119 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 81 | 43 | 32 | 6 | 92 | |
| Predators | 81 | 38 | 33 | 10 | 86 | |
| Blues | 81 | 36 | 33 | 12 | 84 | |
| Jets | 81 | 35 | 34 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 81 | 40 | 30 | 11 | 91 | |
| Ducks | 81 | 42 | 33 | 6 | 90 | |
| Kings | 81 | 35 | 26 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 81 | 38 | 35 | 8 | 84 | |
| Kraken | 81 | 34 | 36 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 81 | 33 | 39 | 9 | 75 | |
| Canucks | 81 | 25 | 48 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||