Thornton played despite major knee damage
Before we find out whether he re-signs with the Sharks, Joe Thornton has to find out if he can even play again.
The team’s 37-year-old alternate captain was scheduled to undergo surgery for a torn ACL and MCL on his left knee Monday, a revelation divulged by head coach Peter DeBoer and confirmed by general manager Doug Wilson on the day players cleaned out their lockers to leave for an earlierthan-hoped-for summer.
Thornton did not reveal the severity of his injury, which occurred April 2 and kept him out of the final three games of the regular season and first two of the Sharks’ six-game, first-round loss to Edmonton in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“I’ve never seen a player play with a torn MCL and ACL. Basically, his knee is floating. It was as courageous an effort as I’ve ever seen,” DeBoer said.
“I’ve been in the business a long time, and to see a player play with that type of injury tells you all you need to know about him,” Wilson added.
Wilson said there won’t be a timetable for Thornton’s possible return until after the procedure. Thornton, who is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, left no doubt his intentions Monday.
“Yeah, I want to come back,” said Thornton, who has appeared in all but 12 of a possible 926 regular-season games in the 12 seasons since he was acquired by the Sharks from Boston. “I think this is a Stanley Cup-caliber team. I’m a little bit older and I realize how good this team is, so I’d like to come back. We’ll see. I’m sure we’ll be talking.”
Fellow forward Patrick Marleau, the No. 2 player selected behind Thornton in the 1997 NHL draft, has reached the end of his contract, too. After 19 years with the organization that drafted him, Marleau, too, would like to return.
“Yeah, that would be nice,” said Marleau, 37. “I think I’ve more than a couple of years left. I still think I can contribute and play. I still feel like I’ve got at least another five good years left in me.”
It turns out that Thornton was not the only one who was hurt.
Near the end of the regular season, Marleau broke his thumb and Tomas Hertl broke his foot.
After scoring 27 goals (and 47 points) in the regular season, Marleau was the offensestarved San Jose leader with three goals against Edmonton.
Only five players in league history have played more games (1,493) with only one team than Marleau with San Jose. The others are Gordie Howe, Nicklas Lidstrom, Alex Delvecchio and Steve Yzerman (all for Detroit), and Arizona’s Shane Doan.
Thornton and Marleau “are legends,” Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said. “They’ve helped everyone in here. Both guys make this a great place to play every day. You hear about the age stuff — both still are in great shape. Every day they put the work in. They’re elite players.”
“I know what they mean to this organization and their teammates, so we hope to see them back,” captain Joe Pavelski added. “I believe they have a lot of good hockey left.”
As is the case every offseason, Wilson has to balance the needs going forward with what the salary cap will allow. In addition to unrestricted free agents Thornton, Marleau and Micheal Haley, younger players Melker Karlsson, Joonas Donskoi, Chris Tierney and Marcus Sorensen and minorleague defenseman Mirco Mueller are restricted free agents.
Top defensive defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones have one year left on their deals, and Wilson said doling out extensions for both by training camp is a priority.
First and foremost, though, is what the team does with Thornton and Marleau.
“They’ve been cornerstones of this franchise for a long time,” Wilson said. “Not only as players but as people, too. A lot of variables go into that decision, the first one being sitting down and talking to both of them.
“They are very, very special to this organization. They mean a lot to us.”