[Signing] Sharks sign Thornton (1 yr, $5 mil)

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1013871656316567558

[Poe969]

I hope it's like 7 mil so they don't have enough to sign or trade for anyone else.

[sureLoss]

If he has signed, it likely means they aren't chasing any more big fish or big cap hits.

[sureLoss]

Chris Johnston @reporterchris
Joe Thornton's one-year extension with #SJSharks is worth $5M.

[Textcritic]

The Sharks suck.

[mrdonkey]

Screw the Sharks.

[dino7c]

"he will totally play for 1M just to stay in SJ"

[neo45]

Originally Posted by dino7c

"he will totally play for 1M just to stay in SJ"

This doesn’t prove he wouldn’t have

[codynw]

Originally Posted by dino7c

"he will totally play for 1M just to stay in SJ"

"He was waiting to structure his deal based on if SJS landed John Tavares"


If they used all their cap space on Tavares he was gonna take less.

[Roof-Daddy]

This is about as surprising as getting wet while going for a walk in the rain.

[spuzzum]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

This is about as surprising as getting wet while going for a walk in the rain.

Do you get equally wet if you run?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by codynw

"He was waiting to structure his deal based on if SJS landed John Tavares"


If they used all their cap space on Tavares he was gonna take less.

not that much less as people were speculating...he wasn't giving up 4M to play with JT

[Oling_Roachinen]

Sharks had roughly 19M to sign Tavares, Thornton and Hertl. If they really were offering Tavares around 13M, just signed Hertl at 5.25M, the only way to fit Thornton would have been around 1M.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by dino7c

not that much less as people were speculating...he wasn't giving up 4M to play with JT

According to him, yes, yes he was.

“I’ll sign for whatever is left over” is not equal to “I’ll only take a little bit if there’s still lots left over.”

[dino7c]

Honestly I don't buy it...he wouldn't have gone that low IMO


I guess we will never know for sure

1M to 5M just because one guy didn't sign...why would SJ even give him that much if he was willing to do 1M. They could have/could add someone else if he is that concerned about giving up salary to improve the team.

Whatever, Sharks suck

[Samonadreau]

^ I know it's hard for some people to fathom that hes probably rich as f### already and wants to win a Cup with the Sharks but just maybe that's the case.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

^ I know it's hard for some people to fathom that hes probably rich as f### already and wants to win a Cup with the Sharks but just maybe that's the case.

So why is he taking 5M now then? They could certainly use the space to add another quality player

JT may have been the biggest but certainly not the only fish in the sea

and "hard for some people to fathom"

disagree but don't give me the condescending BS...end of the day he signed a big contract

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by dino7c

So why is he taking 5M now then? They could certainly use the space to add another quality player

JT may have been the biggest but certainly not the only fish in the sea...

I expect that Thornton signed that contract because Wilson approached him and said "We're done. Here's what's left." It is not up to any player to plan his team's budget accordingly.

And ultimately, this ends up being about Thornton not wanting to leave SJ. He is rooted, and he is not going anywhere. He will happily play so long as there is room, but I am quite certain that the day the Sharks move on is the day he is done playing hockey.

[getbak]

A few years ago, we saw Brad Richards take a $2 million deal to go to Chicago in hopes of winning a Cup. This was basically all they could pay him to stay under the cap. He reportedly turned down more money from other teams to give himself the best chance to win. And that was a guy who already had his name on the Cup (probably wanted to win it legitimately).



If the Sharks were offering Tavares $13 million, as rumoured, Thornton would have had to take a big pay cut if he wanted to stay in San Jose. The math doesn't work otherwise.

Right now, they have just over $8 million in cap space. If they had signed Tavares for $13 million, they simply wouldn't have had the space for the deals that Hertl and Thornton signed on Monday. They likely would have needed to sign Hertl to a lower-value one year deal (and give him the longer extension next year after Pavelski's contract ends), and give Thornton much less money than they did.

If the Sharks had signed Tavares, they would have become instant favourites to win the Cup next year. That possibility was probably enough for Thornton to be willing to sacrifice a few million dollars (easier to do for someone who has already made over $90 million in his career). Now, there aren't any other players on the market that the Sharks could acquire who would move the needle in the same way that Tavares would have, so Thornton might as well take the money.