SAN JOSE — After weeks of speculation, rumors and shrewd negotiation, the face of the Sharks franchise decided to re-up with the team a few hours after the clock struck midnight.
Joe Thornton is prepared to sign a one-year contract worth close to $6.5 million with the Sharks, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, after entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career Saturday. Thornton allowed himself to be courted by other teams over the course of the last week, but he ultimately decided to take another shot at bringing the Stanley Cup to Northern California with a team that will look quite similar to the squad that reached the final in 2016 after defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones signed contract extensions earlier in the day.