Sharks’ Joe Thornton on staying put after deadline: “I wanted a shot”
A day after the NHL trade deadline, Sharks center Joe Thornton expressed his disappointment Tuesday morning that he won’t have a chance this year to chase a Stanley Cup.
“I wanted a shot, believe it or not,” Thornton told reporters before the Sharks played the Philadelphia Flyers. “I’ve been hunting this thing down for 22 years, so I wanted another shot at it, and I wanted to get something in return. But it just didn’t work out. So, back to the grind and that’s how it is.”
Thornton’s longtime friend and fellow Sharks icon Patrick Marleau was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday morning. Shortly before the noon (PT) deadline, Barclay Goodrow was sent to Tampa Bay as part of a trade that saw the Sharks acquire the Lightning’s 2020 first round draft pick.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said Monday that before the deadline, both Marleau and Thornton were involved in the process as they explored potential fits throughout the NHL.
While Marleau found a match with the Penguins, Thornton, Wilson said, “was open to exploring it, but I’m not sure he necessarily wanted to go completely, either. That’s how loyal he has been to this organization and that’s what makes him special, too.”
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that three or four teams expressed interest in Thornton, but that they were not the elite Cup contenders he was looking to go to. Thornton has a full no move clause in his one-year contract and reportedly had a list of teams he was willing waive for, including Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Colorado and Boston.
Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said over the weekend that he felt it would have to be “an absolute perfect situation” for Thornton to accept a trade to another team, something he reiterated Tuesday.
“When you start to see one of his best buddies in Patty go and you some of the other action around the league, and then Goody — another unbelievable individual — I think that you start thinking, ‘What if?’ kind of thing,” Boughner said. “I’m sure (Thornton) juggled those scenarios in his head the last week or two.
“I said this earlier that if it was a perfect situation, I think that it would have been a good thing for him. But he’s also, right away, a guy that just sort of puts it behind him.”
In 62 games for the Sharks this season, Thornton has 27 points and is averaging 15 minutes and 18 seconds of ice time per game.
In 1,096 games with the Sharks, Thornton has 248 goals and 803 assists.
“As much as he means on the ice right now to us, I think he means more off the ice,” Boughner said. “I’m happy that he stayed.”
Thornton has said that he would like to continue to play past this season. He pointed out Tuesday that the last time the Sharks missed the playoffs in 2015, they rebounded the following year to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.
“We have pieces here that are the backbone of this team,” Thornton said. “I hope that’s the case going forward.”
Sharks captain Logan Couture took part in the team’s morning skate in Philadelphia and could play against the Flyers. Boughner said the availability of Couture, who suffered a fracture in his ankle Jan. 7 in a game against the St. Louis Blues, will be decided closer to game time.
The Sharks recalled forwards Lean Bergmann and Maxim Letunov from the Barracuda and reassigned defenseman Nicolas Meloche. Defenseman Dalton Prout was recalled from his AHL conditioning assignment Monday.