Editor's note: This article is part of an ongoing series in which Kevin Kurz will highlight a different Sharks player every day leading up to the start of training camp.
Name/Position: Joe Thornton, C
Age: 36
2015-16 cap hit/contract: $6.75 million, signed through 2016-17
2014-15 year in review: When Joe Thornton was stripped of the captaincy last summer the message that management wanted to convey was that the Sharks should not be viewed as “Thornton’s team” anymore, either internally or externally. No longer would one player be the dominant presence or the face of the franchise.