"[Thornton's] doing extremely well," Wilson said during a conference call Friday. "He's been in here every day, looks really good. I don't think there's any doubt he'll be ready and fit to start the season. The work that he's put in already, that's pure Jumbo He loves the game. I see him every day here at the rink.
"As far as negotiations, some of it depends on what the overall [salary] cap number's going to be. And obviously there's some other key contracts that I have to try to get in place. As far as both [Marleau] and [Thornton], we've had some dialogue. That will continue."
Wilson said it's a priority to secure contract extensions for defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goaltender Martin Jones. Each has one year remaining on his contract.
"Obviously we've got some priority contracts of Martin Jones and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, which we're making some progress on, but there's still some work to be done," Wilson said.
Marleau and Thornton own most of San Jose's offensive records, but they'll also both be 38 when the upcoming season begins. Despite what they've meant to the Sharks for so many years, Wilson said he has to operate under a cap system, which puts limits on what he can offer Thornton and Marleau.