Paul Gackle of Bay Area News Group has reported that centre Joe Thornton dealt with ACL and MCL tears during the 2017-18 season. The tears were located in his right knee, which was the same injury as last year in his opposite knee.
Thornton was out of the San Jose Sharks lineup for their final 35 regular-season games, as well as their playoff run due to his knee injuries. Joel Ward was also forced to miss the entire playoffs. Evander Kane also dealt with an MCL injury and shoulder separation this season but did play throughout the playoffs. Due to key players dealing not playing or dealing with injuries, the Sharks would lose in the second-round to the Vegas Golden Knights.
https://twitter.com/GackleReport/status/993903602891550720
Joe Thornton Injured
This season, Thornton scored 13 goals and 23 assists for36 points in 47 games. He also added 38 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 54.4 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +3.4.
Over his 20-year NHL career, Thornton has played for the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks. He has put up 397 goals and 1,030 assists for 1,427 career points in 1,493 career games. Thornton ranks 16th all-time in point and is the highest active player on the list. He was originally drafted in the first overall of the 1997 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins.
What This Means for the Future
The 38-year-old enters the off-season an unrestricted free agent and has dealt with health problems over the last few seasons. Nearing the end of his NHL career, Thornton told the media that he would like to return to the Sharks next season. According to Gackle, to stay, Thornton would sign another one-year deal for less in order for the team to sign other free agents.
San Jose has five free agents they need to re-sign heading into next season. The other four are Kane, Ward, Eric Fehr, and Jannik Hansen.
Joe Thornton also wants to remain w/ #SJSharks, said he’d be willing to sign another one year deal and take a pay cut to help to the team sign other free agents: there’s enough money to go around
— Paul Gackle (@GackleReport) May 8, 2018
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)
