Owen Nolan: Removal of captaincy doesn’t lessen Joe Thornton's value

Joe Thornton may have lost the "C" off his jersey, but he still has the faith of former teammate Owen Nolan, a man who also served as captain of the San Jose Sharks.

“It doesn’t make him any less valuable,” Nolan told Katie Strang ESPN.com. “He’s going to continue to be a leader on the team, but they may move in a younger direction and get younger players to take on more responsibility."

Nolan also pumped management's tires for standing pat after a meltdown in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

"I’m sure everyone is disappointed in the way they were put out of the playoffs," he said, "but I like the way they didn't panic. This team, as a whole, is a good hockey team. They didn't panic. They didn't blow the whole thing up."

Nolan apparently missed the part where the Sharks wanted to trade Thornton earlier this summer (see below).

Regardless of who is named captain, Nolan believes the Sharks are "a solid hockey team that can win," but also a group that needs to move on from last season's disappointment as quickly as possible.

Nolan appeared in 568 games for the Sharks between 1995 and 2003, and sits third in all-time scoring with 451 points, behind only Patrick Marleau (931) and Thornton himself (740).