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Originally Posted by samichna
BTW, please name the half dozen players you would consider "elite" right now.
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Forsberg, Gagne, Heatley, Alfredsson, Jagr (now that he's rejuvenated) and then any possibly of Spezza/Iginla/Redden/Chara/Naslund
I might not consider them all to be necessarily elite (though I could easily make good arguments that they all are) but merely players I'd rank and take before Thornton at this moment. Elite is reserved mostly for Forsberg, Heatley, Jagr and maybe Alfredsson and probably the two defensemen I mentioned because they are easily two of the best defensive players in the league (NHL is not all about scoring goals, hence this trade in the first place)
Thorntorn is a very very good player no doubt but I take any of those guys before Thornton. (Mostly because Thornton has the potential to be so much more than he already is, he could easily be a esily a point, point and a half player per game) guys I'd rank around or just under Thornton are guys like Vinny Lecavalier, followed by guys like Datsyuk, Richards, St Louis, Patrick Marleau, etc... and aging players like Modano, and Sakic who granted are not what they used to be (and thus not necessarily guys I'd take over Thornton.)
Guys who I think will pass Thorntorn in the next few years are guys like obviously Crosby and Ovechkin, but Staal as well if he can keep playing at the level he's shown to be capable of, Nash and possibly (though not definitely) guys like Frolov, Zetterberg.