The San Jose Sharks needed a good summer to wash a very bad taste out of their collective, toothy mouth. Watching their southern neighbors lift their second Stanley Cup in three years just a month after having a skate on their throats has to be a very bitter pill.

The San Jose collapse has become something of a culture lately, boasting high-octane regular season squads that inevitably seem to crash and burn in the playoffs. At the center (literally) of the Sharks’ disappointment is Joe Thornton.

Acquired half way through the 2005-06 season, from Boston, Thornton finished the season collecting both the Hart And Art Ross Trophies. His 115 points on each coast represent a career high for Thornton and his accolades for the season represent the first time a player has one the awards while playing for two different teams.

With Thornton’s arrival came the weight of expectations. The Sharks had been to the conference finals the year before the lost 2004-05 season and Thornton was supposed to be the missing ingredient.

Fast forward eight years and the Sharks have yet to play for the Stanley Cup despite four division titles and two Western Conference Finals appearances. The last three years have been particularly tough because after the four consecutive Pacific Division crowns, the Sharks started molding their roster specifically for the playoffs.

There were no major moves, trades or signings, but key pieces with championship experience had been brought in to supplement an already great team. After the excruciating loss to Los Angeles this year, it was assumed that there would be an overhaul to the roster, the administration or both.

So far this summer neither of these things have taken place. While rumors circulated about the San Jose captain being moved, Thornton made it clear that he wanted to remain in the Bay area.

With no decisions made with personnel headed into the draft weekend it’s safe to say that San Jose believes in the team that they have and will give it another shot for at least one more year.

This is good news for the embattled 35-year old center. Thornton is coming off a resurgent year of sorts. After a steady decline from his 100-point years, Jumbo Joe leveled off with a 76-point effort over a full 82-game season. While the NHL remains a young man’s game, the Shark’s captain finished three assists behind the NHL leader Sidney Crosby.

Since he is still productive, the decision had to be made whether the return for Thornton would be worth the effort to move him. The things worth noting when considering a Thornton deal would be whether the player would approve the deal and if they would be able to get a fair return for their captain.

The snarkiest of pessimists would contend that the lack of a title, or for that matter a Stanley Cup appearance renders the big center man expendable. The reality is that the Sharks play in a conference that has produced six of the last nine champs with three Eastern Conference winners requiring seven games.

There is no argument that San Jose plays in a stronger conference, but the reality is that the sharks have underachieved in the playoffs. In 97 playoff games with the Sharks Thornton has posted 18 goals and 64 assists. That is a clip slightly below Thornton’s per-game average, but certainly respectable against playoff competition.

The Sharks have obviously balked at their plans to “rebuild” the team this summer. There were certainly some conversations with Thornton about the expectations for the team and it looks like Jumbo has bought himself and Patrick Marleau at least one more season in the black and teal.

The Sharks will assume their normal place among the Western Conference elite, but with almost all of their direct competition improving they’ll be hard pressed to reach their ultimate team goal.

The fact is, the 2014-15 season could be a swan song for the Thornton and Marleau. The Sharks have done little to improve their roster, which actually might be just the formula they need to finally get out of the conference and into the Stanley Cup Final.