The San Jose Sharks have announced that centre Joe Thornton has been put on short-term injured reserve after his surgically repaired knee flared up.
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Joe Thronton Placed on IR
No one can pinpoint an exact moment that Thornton got injured. The 39-year-old played most of the pre-season and recorded 14 minutes, nine seconds of ice time in the Sharks’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
Thornton has collected an assist in two games played this season. He was also called for a minor penalty. His possession numbers were 62.3 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -2.8 during the two games.
The London, Ontario native has played for the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks in his 21-year career. He has put up 397 goals and 1,031 assists for 1,428 career points in 1,495 career games. He was the first overall selection in the 1997 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins.
There’s no knowing that if the swelling is a minor setback or a sign of further trouble for Thornton.
“The trainers say it’s fairly common, that it can get some fluid in there sometimes with what he’s gone through,” Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said to the media. “I don’t think anybody is overly concerned. We’re just making sure we do this right.”
What This Means for the Future
The future Hall-of-Famer has been plagued with injuries over the last 18 months. Thornton tore both his ACL and MCL in his left knee in April 2017. He suffered the same injury to his right knee in January 2018. He was hoping to play in the 2018 postseason, but was not ready.
Thornton will not be eligible to return to the lineup until Oct. 14’s game against the New Jersey Devils. San Jose has called up Dylan Gambrell from the AHL Barracuda to fill the roster spot.
SAN JOSE, CA – DECEMBER 30: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks skates with the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers at SAP Center on December 30, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
