It was just like old times at the San Jose Sharks' practice facility on Monday.
Former NHL defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Sharks, bumped into franchise icons Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, who were skating together at the practice rink.
Thornton, 40, remains unsigned, but already committed to playing in the 2019-20 season and said he'd do so only with the Sharks.
Marleau is also a free agent. He was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes in June and was subsequently bought out. The soon-to-be 40-year-old had a full no-movement clause and was eyeing a move back to the west coast for family reasons. He said in June that "it would be nice to come back (to San Jose) and play where I started."
If the two veterans do return to the Sharks, it'll have to be on hometown discounts. The Sharks have $4.68 million remaining in projected cap space with 11 forwards signed, according to CapFriendly. Marleau carried a $6.25-million cap hit in 2018-19 while Thornton earned $5 million last season.
Thornton and Marleau are widely regarded as the two greatest players in Sharks history. Thornton remained productive with 51 points in 73 games last year and Marleau managed to chip in 37 points in 82 contests with the Leafs.
- With h/t to NBC Sports
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