Unfortunately for them, year after year passed and older and older they got, until both of them were unable to carry the team anymore and were forced to move onto other franchises to play in a depth role to try and win a Stanley Cup before retirement.
While Joe Thornton has not officially announced his retirement, he is still without a contract for this season. But the breaking news is, both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will be making a return to San Jose!
Both of these players played for the Maple Leafs after leaving San Jose, but not at the same time. The long-time duo have not been teammates since the 2016-17 season, and it will be nice to see them back together on the same team.