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The San Jose Sharks brought back a couple of former players this week but also said goodbye to a long-time member of the team. Here’s the weekly recap:
THORNTON SIGNS WITH MAPLE LEAFS
The biggest piece of news this week for the Sharks was Joe Thornton leaving the team after 15 years, to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. You can read about Thornton’s departure
here.
MARLEAU AND NIETO RETURNING TO SAN JOSE
While Thornton may be leaving, two former players will be returning to the team, in Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto. Both forwards signed a one-year deal at the league minimum value and you can read about the signings
here.
SHARKS SIGN OZZY WIESBLATT
The Sharks also signed first-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt to an entry-level contract on Friday. Wiesblatt is expected to be back with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders this season.
DELL SIGNS WITH MAPLE LEAFS
It didn’t make headlines like the Thornton signing did, but Aaron Dell will also be heading to Toronto. He signed a one-year deal with the Leafs, worth $800,000.
As for this week’s polls, here are the results and my thoughts on how they turned out:
QUESTION: Are you happy about the Sharks bringing back Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto?
(Votes: 212)
Yes: 67%
No: 33%
Considering the price of both contracts, Marleau and Nieto were really solid additions, in my opinion. I had said the team needed to add cheap depth to the bottom-six and that’s exactly what the Sharks did.
QUESTION: Are you surprised by Joe Thornton's decision to sign with Toronto?
(Votes: 390)
No: 76%
Yes: 24%
While there was a ton of speculation that Thornton could be heading to Toronto, it was still shocking to see it become official. Considering how long Thornton was with the Sharks, it will be strange not having him return, even if all signs pointed to his exit.
QUESTION: Where do you see Ozzy Wiesblatt fitting into San Jose's lineup long-term?
(Votes: 80)
Middle-six forward: 55%
Top-six forward: 28%
Bottom-six forward: 11%
Doesn’t make/stay in the NHL: 6%
Like the poll results suggest, I too see Wiesblatt fitting into a middle-six role in the forward group. His ceiling could certainly be higher but that’s probably the safest bet for a long-term fit.
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OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
Sharks reportedly working on potential trade with Wild for Dubnyk/Donato
Weekly Recap: Sharks Edition (October 4)
Sharks acquire Ryan Donato from Wild
Sharks acquire Devan Dubnyk from Wild
Sharks select Ozzy Wiesblatt at 31st overall
Recapping all of San Jose's picks in the 2020 NHL Draft
Sharks re-sign Stefan Noesen, Antti Suomela and others
Sharks re-sign Kevin Labanc
Weekly Recap: Sharks Edition (October 12)
Sharks sign Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto
Joe Thornton signs with Toronto Maple Leafs
Sharks sign Ozzy Wiesblatt to entry-level contract 
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