End of an era: Joe Thornton signs with Maple Leafs, not Sharks

Joe Thornton’s time with the San Jose Sharks has come to an end — at least for now.

Thornton on Friday ended any suspense as to where he might play next season, signing a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There had been speculation in the last week that Thornton, who became an unrestricted free agent on Oct. 9, could leave San Jose for the Maple Leafs. In recent days, reports indicated that Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and coach Sheldon Keefe had reached out to Thornton, as had players Auston Matthews, Jake Muzzin and John Tavares.

The full-court press worked, as Thornton, who helped the Sharks become one of the NHL’s most consistently successful teams over a 15-year period, is moving back to southern Ontario roots. Thornton is originally from St. Thomas, Ontario, which is roughly a two-hour drive west of Toronto and is where his parents still live.

In 1,636 career NHL regular season games between the Boston Bruins and Sharks, Thornton has 1,509 points, including 1089 assists. He also has 133 points in 179 playoff games, as he helped the Sharks reach the Western Conference finals four times and the Stanley Cup Final once in 2016.

Thornton had 1,055 regular season points with the Sharks from 2005 to 2020, second-most in franchise history. His 804 assists and his plus/minus of 161 ranks No. 1 in the team’s history, and he is second in games played (1,104).

Along the way, with a larger-than-life personality, he became the face of the franchise, which sold out 205 straight home games at SAP Center, including playoffs, from December 2009 to October 2014.

Thornton was acquired by general manager Doug Wilson from the Bruins on Nov. 30, 2005 in arguably the biggest trade in the near 30-year history of the franchise. From Dec. 1, 2005 to the end of the 2019-2020 season, the Sharks had the most regular season points of any NHL team with a record of 659-376-125.

The Sharks also had third-most amount of playoff wins in that time, 80, as they made the postseason in 13 of Thornton’s 15 seasons in San Jose. The Sharks could never win it all, though, and do not figure to be a Stanley Cup contender this season despite changes to their coaching staff and some personnel moves.

Thornton, in his first season in San Jose, won both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy in 2006, becoming the first and still lone Sharks player to win either award.

Thornton is in Switzerland right now, and is not expected to address reporters until Sunday. Thornton on Thursday signed with HC Davos. who he played with during the 2004-2005 and 2012-13 seasons. He is expected to play with the team Saturday night.

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