Just over a year ago the Boston Bruins had a problem on their hands. At least they thought they had a problem on their hands. Tyler Seguin reportedly struggled to get a handle on the off-ice issues that come along with being a high-profile star in Boston, and the B's didn't like the way he competed during the playoffs when goals are tougher to come by.
That's all the Bruins needed to see out of Seguin. One bad postseason out of the then 21-year-old forward and he was tabbed as expendable by general manager Peter Chiarelli and team president Cam Neely in a rather republic fashion.
The San Jose Sharks are in a similar situation in that they think they have a problem in Joe Thornton. In Boston, they decided that Seguin wasn't a core guy and no matter how they try to spin it, they didn't get fair value for the kid. Thornton isn't heading into the prime of his career like Seguin, but he's a remarkably capable player that San Jose wouldn't be able to get fair value for. That's how the West Coast can learn from the East Coast. Doug Wilson has been pushing the rebuild agenda for a few months now and it's been his guiding light through the 2014 offseason.
Good chat w/Doug Wilson, who said rebuild as much cultural in SJ as personnel. Stressed there's no timeline for moves. Could be at deadline.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 27, 2014Coach Todd McLellan says Sharks could go from Joe (Thornton) Captain to no captain. @cotsonika files from Philly: http://t.co/TfXNg8wTq1
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) June 28, 2014That's where the problem is. It's not Thornton and his attitude and alleged alpha-maleness. There just isn't enough support coming from the third and fourth lines to propel the Sharks to a series victory of the Kings. Wilson saw something off the ice that he didn't like in that series, but that doesn't change the fact that Thornton makes everyone around him better. He's the forward for the Sharks that actually hangs onto the puck, and getting rid of him will only dull any chances of taking down the Stanley Cup champions next season.
Regardless of how you feel about the fancy stats movement, corsi is here to stay and it's a solid measurement for puck possession. Teams that have the puck more often than not tend to win, and Thornton helps his teammates reach levels they wouldn't get to without an elite passer on the ice with them.
The most outstanding example might be Burns. He skated alongside Thornton on San Jose's top line for a majority of the 2013-14 season, and saw his personal numbers skyrocket as a result. Burns' corsi-for percentage was an outstanding 60.2 with Thornton with him. Without him, Burns' corsi-for plummets to 40.9. That's a huge difference and is indicative of what happens to the Sharks on the whole without Thornton on the roster. It's this evaluation that makes it easier to swim through the he-said-she-said chatter of the offseason and take if for what it is: gossip.
Thornton is a damn good hockey player and the Sharks are a better team with him. Never mind the chatter that's so easy to buy into at this time of year. Look back to Boston's reasoning for trading Seguin. "He doesn't fit in with the culture." That's an easy offseason sell because someone's head has to roll following a disappointing playoff exit.
That's the case in San Jose, but it shouldn't be Thornton getting the boot.
Author's Note: This is admittedly a stark contract to my take from late June on this same subject. I've spent the last few days watching some tape and digging into Thornton's underlying stats, and I can say with 110% accuracy that my initial reaction to a possible deal involving Thornton was wrong. Mark it down, folks. An internet hockey writer backtracking and admitting that a hot take was off base. As always, feel free to comment below or call me names on Twitter (@FranklinSteele)