San Jose Sharks’ center Joe Thornton is looking to stay with the team for the 2018-19 season as well. The 38-year-old decided to test the free agency in the past offseason, only to return and sign a one-year, $8 million deal with the Sharks. Now he doesn’t want to look elsewhere and would consider taking another short-term deal.
“It’s no secret I’m a Shark,” – said Thornton on Tuesday. “I bleed teal and I want to come back and I know I’m going to be healthy when I come back. I’m sure we can figure something out, but I want to come back.“
Thornton also said that he would even consider taking a pay cut in order to give the Sharks more room to acquire better players and make a serious Stanley Cup run in the next season.
“I’m excited for this team,” – Thornton added. “A lot of guys made big leaps this year. I’m sure teams are always adding new things or trying at least to add new things. But if you’re a Shark fan, you’ve got to be excited for this team still.“
In this year’s playoffs, the Sharks were eliminated in the second round following a loss to Vegas Golden Knights. Thornton couldn’t help his team being sidelined with ACL and MCL injuries in January. Before the injury, he had 13 goals and 23 assists in 47 games played.
Joe Thornton started his professional career in 1997 when the Boston Bruins selected him with the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. He went on to spend seven seasons with the team, before being traded to the San Jose Sharks.
Since he arrived in San Jose, Thornton established himself as the leader of the team and is already considered the organization’s greatest player ever. He is currently the Sharks’ all-time leader in assists (722), +/- (+197) and points per game (1.01).
