Good chat w/Doug Wilson, who said rebuild as much cultural in SJ as personnel. Stressed there's no timeline for moves. Could be at deadline. — Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 27, 2014

Coach Todd McLellan says Sharks could go from Joe (Thornton) Captain to no captain. @cotsonika files from Philly: http://t.co/TfXNg8wTq1 — Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) June 28, 2014

Just over a year ago the Boston Bruins had a problem on their hands. At least theythey had a problem on their hands. Tyler Seguin reportedly struggled to get a handle on the off-ice issues that come along with being a high-profile star in Boston, and the B's didn't like the way he competed during the playoffs when goals are tougher to come by.That's all the Bruins needed to see out of Seguin. One bad postseason out of the then 21-year-old forward and he was tabbed as expendable by general manager Peter Chiarelli and team president Cam Neely in a rather republic fashion.Fast forward to the 5:24 mark of the video to see the team's brass discussing the tough roster choices that Boston faced following the Stanley Cup Final loss and to witness them more or less dragging Seguin's name through the mud. The narrator of the behind-the-scenes all-access show describes the center as "something of a mystery." The Dallas Stars would go on to describe him as a play driving No. 1 center that will be a top-10 point producer in the NHL for years to come. That's after the B's decided to swap out the electric offensive talent for Reilly Smith and Loui Eriksson—two guys that were supposed to fit in with Boston's systems and culture more than Seguin did.The San Jose Sharks are in a similar situation in that theythey have a problem in Joe Thornton. In Boston, they decided that Seguin wasn't a core guy and no matter how they try to spin it, they didn't get fair value for the kid. Thornton isn't heading into the prime of his career like Seguin, but he's a remarkably capable player that San Jose wouldn't be able to get fair value for. That's how the West Coast can learn from the East Coast. Doug Wilson has been pushing the rebuild agenda for a few months now and it's been his guiding light through the 2014 offseason.Say what you will about bringing back Mike Brown and the signing of John Scott, but trading Thornton isn't the best move for the Sharks at this juncture. Not in the name of a rebuild, a rebranding and not in the name of changing the structure of the locker room. If you want to strip him of the captaincy, then have it at. Trying to get players that can help the team progress toward the ultimate goal of the Stanley Cup in exchange for No. 19 is a losing proposition. Smart teams don't trade possession monsters for role players, whether they call it corsi or not.The top-six forward group hasn't been the issue for the Sharks. The unit is so deep that Brent Burns will be back on defense next season, and he's a legitimate top-line player. Problems don't begin until San Jose runs up against the L.A. Kings in the playoffs—a team that boasts a third line of Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. When that matchup occurs like it did in the playoffs this year, the Sharks don't have the forward depth needed to compete.That's where the problem is. It's not Thornton and his attitude and alleged alpha-maleness. There just isn't enough support coming from the third and fourth lines to propel the Sharks to a series victory of the Kings. Wilson saw something off the ice that he didn't like in that series, but that doesn't change the fact that Thornton makes everyone around him better. He's the forward for the Sharks that actually hangs onto the puck, and getting rid of him will only dull any chances of taking down the Stanley Cup champions next season.Regardless of how you feel about the fancy stats movement, corsi is here to stay and it's a solid measurement for puck possession. Teams that have the puck more often than not tend to win, and Thornton helps his teammates reach levels they wouldn't get to without an elite passer on the ice with them.The most outstanding example might be Burns. He skated alongside Thornton on San Jose's top line for a majority of the 2013-14 season, and saw his personal numbers skyrocket as a result. Burns' corsi-for percentage was an outstanding 60.2 with Thornton with him. Without him, Burns' corsi-for plummets to 40.9. That's a huge difference and is indicative of what happens to the Sharks on the whole without Thornton on the roster. It's this evaluation that makes it easier to swim through the he-said-she-said chatter of the offseason and take if for what it is: gossip.Thornton is a damn good hockey player and the Sharks are a better team with him. Never mind the chatter that's so easy to buy into at this time of year. Look back to Boston's reasoning for trading Seguin. "He doesn't fit in with the culture." That's an easy offseason sell because someone's head has to roll following a disappointing playoff exit.That's the case in San Jose, but it shouldn't be Thornton getting the boot.