Rumor: Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau To Tampa Bay

Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have been teammates as members of the San Jose Sharks since 2005, minus the two seasons Marleau spent with Toronto. The Sharks are currently sitting 10 points out of a playoff spot and we are nearing the trade deadline. It has been rumored that these two players are on their way out of San Jose, but Thornton is only willing to waive his no-trade clause if Marleau is included in the deal.


Neither Thornton nor Marleau have hoisted the Stanley Cup. They are both 40 years old they are presumably hoping to achieve this before they retire, but it seems that they want to accomplish this together.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly interested in acquiring Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The team's playoff performance last year was extremely poor and they will be looking for a veteran presence to facilitate their top 9 forwards. The Lightning have a considerable amount of deadline cap space and Thornton and Marleau are both on cap friendly contracts.

The expected return is a prospect and a pick. Is this too high of a price to pay for two veteran players, or is it worth the risk to make a deep playoff run?