Bruins GM Mike O'Connell should be ashamed that he didn't receive a top-line pivot man in return for Thornton, especially since his availability wasn't leaked to the media beforehand. Saying that he freed some cap space is a sorry excuse, especially since he only got about $1.6 million of wiggle room.

The media and fans in Boston have been on Thornton's case since day one for never living up to the lofty expectations placed on him as a first overall draft pick. Now they can enjoy watching Patrice Bergeron fill the role of top center. Nothing against Bergeron, but he's no Thornton. 

This seems to be the first step in a long and arduous rebuilding process for the B's, while the Sharks suddenly move back into the Western Conference elite.

Boston dumps salary, but for what? If they go into the free agent market in the off-season, is there a player of equal value they could sign? At the end of the day, Boston ONLY saves $1.6 million. What quality center can you sign for that amount of money? Maybe there were signals Joe wasn't long for New England when the B's only signed him to a three year deal in the summer, instead of going for five. You can be sure that Glen Murray, who was lobbied hard by Thornton to stay in Boston, is not a very happy winger today. 

The Sharks do have a downside because they get a player who's very disappointed and sad in leaving Boston (imagine that). On his conference call last night, the bitterness was clear in Thornton's voice. 

Joe will have moral support playing with his cousin, Scott, but will his head be ready to support Team Teal when he was THE guy on the Bruins for so long? This season may be a wash for the Sharks as Thornton gets his fins wet, but once he gets settled, he'll show Boston fans it was a losing deal for them.

Thornton was never the fiery Terry O'Reilly/ Cam Neely guy they wanted, but then why not trade him for that guy?

As for who won? The Sharks. Thornton-Primeau, 1-2 in the 1997 draft, I'd say they won!

Bruins acquire a defenseman they need, but get another Sergei Samsonov in Marco Sturm and who knows what in Wayne Primeau? Sturm makes me wonder if Samsonov is next to go, since he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Watch out for Nick Boynton to get dealt, too. Knowing how well he respected Thornton, he may want out.

And all of a sudden, it did.

The Bruins traded arguably their best center since the days of Adam Oates and received... well, let's just say it's far from market value.

The B's save a bit of cash, yippee! Where are they now? Stuart's a good defenseman, Sturm's on pace for a career year (57 points), and Primeau's a decent checking center. But Joe Thornton, in the old and new NHL, is a dominant superstar.

Unfortunately for Bruins fans, this could be the beginning of more changes to come. For Sharks fans, you better be glowing. Thornton was already set for a near 120-point season and you can bet he'll help all those around him. He doesn't have anything to prove, but he'd certainly love to stick it to B's management.