At least the Sharks still have Thornton, another significant piece of their history, perhaps a more significant piece of their current team. Thornton has spent the past 11-plus seasons with the Sharks, since they acquired him from the Boston Bruins on Nov. 30, 2005, on his way to the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. He ranks second to Marleau in games played (914) and points (937) in San Jose history, and he's first in assists (722). He still drives play and passes the puck like a wizard even though he turned 38 on Sunday. He's a center, Marleau a wing.
Yes, Thornton dropped from 82 points (19 goals, 63 assists) in 2015-16 to 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) last season. Yes, he sustained a bad knee injury late in the season. But he came off a short summer after the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, played for Team Canada in the World Cup of Hockey 2016 and ground through a condensed schedule, and the knee is fine. Thornton said he expects to start skating in a couple of weeks and will be 100 percent.
"I haven't trained my legs like this ever in my career, so my legs are going to be stronger than ever, to be honest with you," Thornton said.
It says a lot about Thornton that he played through that knee injury for four games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs even though he was about to become a unrestricted free agent. It says a lot about Thornton that he received a ton of interest, including from the Los Angeles Kings, whose GM is former Sharks teammate Rob Blake, and never visited another city during the interview period.
"I was kind of shocked that there was the interest that there was," Thornton said. "But I just feel, I'm a Shark, and I wanted to come back to the Sharks, and that's what it came down to. … I felt bad, saying, 'Hey, I'm going back to San Jose.' But that's where my heart is, and that's where I'm happy."
It says a lot about Thornton that he was willing to work with the Sharks to bring back Marleau.
"He's a special, special guy," Wilson said. "Joe deserves a huge compliment for what he was willing to do."
Finally, it says a lot about Thornton that a one-year contract does not necessarily mean one more year and that he has given up leverage in future negotiations. Everyone knows he wants to stay in San Jose, as if it wasn't clear already after the Sharks blew a 3-0 series lead to the Kings in the Western Conference First Round in 2014, Wilson talked about a rebuild, they stripped him of his captaincy and he stuck around.
"I think one year works at this point in my career," Thornton said. "Just really go year-by-year and just see how I feel. I feel like I've got a lot left in the tank, and hopefully after this deal I'll keep signing."
Thornton won't catch Marleau in games played or goals in Sharks history, but he might pass him in points. He was classy when he said Marleau will go down as the best Shark of all time. We'll see.
