Sheng’s Daily: Joe Thornton Tribute Edition

It’s the end of an era for San Jose Sharks hockey.

Jum-NOOOO: Joe Thornton Leaves Sharks, Signs with Maple Leafs

It felt like the entire team went online to pay tribute to Joe Thornton:

Karlsson & Kane Already Plotting Thornton’s Return to San Jose?

Toronto got itself a Jumbo-sized bargain:

UPDATED: At 29.4 percent of his Projected Cap Hit, Joe Thornton's 1-year, 700K deal with TOR is now the biggest UFA bargain so far in free agency — see the other bargains (Matt Nieto) AND overpayments (Sabres Sabres Sabres) here: https://t.co/e4xFcMfQXD

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 16, 2020

On Locked On Sharks, they set expectations for the 2020-21 San Jose Sharks:

Setting Expectations for Sharks

In other San Jose Sharks news…

There was other San Jose Sharks news, really. First-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt signed an entry-level deal:

MAKING 👏 IT 👏 OFFICIAL

We have signed @ozzywiesblatt to a standard, entry-level contract!

🦈: https://t.co/tRGtTpmyDG@SAPSports | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/gU8hU0xajx

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 16, 2020

Dear NHL.com, his name is Ozzy Wiesblatt:

Hey https://t.co/lFScwIoErR, maybe refer to the player as Ozzy Wiesblatt, and not as a prop pic.twitter.com/dQBYN0rSTS

— Bryan Bastin (@BryanBastin) October 17, 2020

But it was all about Jumbo yesterday: Locked on Sharks co-host Kyle Demetrius penned this heartfelt tribute.

The thing about Joe Thornton not being on the sharks anymore, is that he was the last connection to a ton of fans days when they cheered for the Sharks as a kid/teenager. I was 16 when he got traded to SJ in 05, so Thornton has been in my life for a little less than half of it /1

— Kyle Demetrius (@KyleDemetrius) October 16, 2020

Meanwhile, these were Curtis Pashelka’s thoughts about Thornton’s Top-10 moments in San Jose. (The Mercury News)

Before it was made official, Patrick Marleau was on Sportsnet, and mentioned that he and Thornton had talked about teaming up in Toronto in the summer of 2017. (Sportsnet)

Around the NHL…

Joe Thornton is already making history with his new team:

September 17, 1997, the day Joe Thornton picked up his first-ever point while wearing an NHL uniform (an assist in a 3-2 Bruins preseason win against the Blues in Oklahoma City), is also the day Auston Matthews was born.

— ℳatt (@matttomic) October 16, 2020

Jumbo Joe has been scoring goals for a long time. 🏒 pic.twitter.com/at1eobbU5A

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 17, 2020

The @MapleLeafs now feature three No. 1 picks in the #NHLDraft: Joe Thornton, @91Tavares and @AM34. #NHLFreeAgency #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/ruQW1SyqSm

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 16, 2020

Not to be outdone, National Hockey Now made its own big-time free agent signing yesterday:

Haggs is ‘back’ as lead Boston Bruins reporter at BHN

Could Vegas Make Room for Patrik Laine?

Can the Florida Panthers afford Mike Hoffman even for one season?

Comparing New Penguins Lines and Odds to Capitals, Flyers