Sharks deal Marleau, Goodrow at deadline
SJ gets draft picks and minor leaguer, Thornton stays
The three deals the Sharks made Monday before the NHL trade deadline were only slightly more notable than the one they did not complete.
Following the noon deadline, after forwards Patrick Marleau and Barclay Goodrow had both been dealt by general manager Doug Wilson to Stanley Cup contending teams, center Joe Thornton, perhaps surprisingly, remained a member of the Sharks.
Wilson traded Marleau to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional 2021 third round draft pick and Goodrow and a 2020 third round selection to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a coveted first round draft pick this year and minor league forward Anthony Greco.
Also Monday, the Sharks acquired defenseman Brandon Davidson from the Calgary Flames for future considerations.
Wilson said Marleau and Thornton, both on one-year contracts, were involved in the process in recent days 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.”
It was reported the Boston Bruins were on Thornton’s list of teams he was open to joining, along with the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, Lightning and Penguins.
While Marleau and
Goodrow have a chance to chase the Cup with their new teams, Thornton will probably be the Sharks’ top line center when they play the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
“Joe was very open to explore it, just as Patty was open to explore it. That didn’t mean that either or both of them were definitely going to go,” Wilson said. “I think they both truly are Sharks and will always be Sharks.
“They wanted to take a look and see what was behind the curtain. Patty saw, it worked out, made that decision. In Jumbo’s case, it didn’t.”
Up until recently, Thornton was hopeful the Sharks could put together a string of victories and rejoin the playoff race.
Instead the Sharks have been plagued with injuries, as Tomas Hertl (knee) and Erik Karlsson (thumb) were lost for the season and Logan Couture has missed the last 17 games with a small ankle fracture.
Since Couture’s Jan. 7 injury, the Sharks (26-32-4) have gone 7-10-0 and entered Monday tied for 13th place in the Western Conference, 14 points out of a playoff spot with 20 games left.
“(Missing the playoffs) does not happen often,” Wilson said, “and we don’t expect it to happen again.”
The Sharks kept six other players who are slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer, including forward Stefan Noesen and goalie Aaron Dell. Winger Melker Karlsson might have been on the market, but Wilson said his current lower body injury made that prohibitive.
“We’re looking to make sure we have guys that fit for next September, so we’re evaluating players that fit for next season,” Wilson said. “There’s some contracts I need to do and explore with some of those guys.
“That’s kind of where we’re at. You listen to the conversations that start today and carry over through the summer and through the draft. There’s a lot of deals that are started now. You talk, take notes, and I think we’ll be involved in a lot of different things between now and then.”
Wilson said he and Marleau, the Sharks’ all time leader in games played (1,551), goals (518), points (1,102) and game-winning goals (101), stayed in communication throughout the trade process. Marleau, 40, signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on
Oct. 9, returning to the team where he started and played the first 19 years of his NHL career.
It won’t take long for Marleau to see his former team, as the Penguins play at SAP Center against the Sharks on Saturday.
“His agent (Pat Brisson) talked with me and we brought the deal to closure, subject to Patty approving it and sleeping on it,” Wilson said. “He’s played well this year and deserved to have that opportunity, deserved to have that choice.”
Although Wilson was not necessarily looking to part with Goodrow, he was able to get back a first round pick in what is expected to be a deep draft.
Goodrow had played the No. 1 center role in recent games for the Sharks and averaged close to 18 minutes of ice time the last 10 games. In 62 games this season, Goodrow, 26, has already set personal bests in goals (eight), points (24) and average time on ice (16:23).
“It’s just a tough day, but it’s a great complement to what he’s accomplished and how much he was wanted,” Wilson said of Goodrow. “Tampa was very aggressive. They weren’t going to go away on this. They paid a very fair price for a guy that I think is going to help them a lot.”