Thornton had ACL, MCL tears.
Veteran begins healing process as what could be a tumultuous offseason gets under way for the Sharks
SAN JOSE — Joe Thornton had surgery Monday to repair torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee as an uncertain and potentially tumultuous offseason began for the Sharks and one of their most recognizable players.
Thornton, 37, was injured April 2 in a game against Vancouver and somehow returned to play exactly two weeks later in Game 3 of the Sharks’ opening-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Thornton, who, like Patrick Marleau, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, played the final four games of the series with the injury and finished with two assists before the Sharks were eliminated Saturday with a 3-1 loss in Game 6.
“I’ve been in this business a long time,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. “You see a player play with that type of injury tells you all you need to know about him.”
The potential time to rehabilitate after surgery to repair a torn ACL alone is up to six months, meaning Thornton would not be able to play again until around the start of the 2017-18 season.
Thornton told reporters Monday — before DeBoer and
Wilson spoke — that the injury was “just the normal stuff that hockey players deal with.
“It was just unfortunate, the time of the year,” Thornton said. “That it happened three games before the end of the season and the playoffs, you got to deal with something like that.
“Hockey players are a different breed. There’s probably five or six guys that had to deal with different stuff. But it is what it is. I’ll go get it checked out today and go from there.”
Marleau, 37, said he played the series with a broken thumb and DeBoer said Tomas Hertl played with a broken foot, an injury also suffered April 2 against Vancouver. Joonas Donskoi suffered separated shoulders on two occasions this season, DeBoer said.
Marleau said he will not need surgery.
“It’s one of those things where time will help it and get better,” Marleau said.
Thornton and Marleau both made it clear they want to re-sign with the Sharks. The question is whether the Sharks want to bring back both and if they can make the numbers work under the salary cap.
It’s part of what’s sure to be the Sharks’ biggest offseason in years.
Wilson also will need make decisions on which players to protect for the upcoming expansion draft and how many of the Sharks’ four restricted free agents will get qualifying offers.
New contracts for defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goalie Martin Jones are also on the docket. Both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2018.
Wilson is hoping to extend the contracts of Vlasic and Jones before training camp, which could be costly and impact the amount of salary the team has available to re-sign the veteran forwards.
“Everybody is connected. It’s a cap system,” Wilson said. “Martin Jones is everything we expected him to be and he’s crucial. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is arguably one of the best defensemen in the league and you saw what he did against one of the top players in the league (Edmonton’s Connor McDavid).
“Both of them are extremely important to get under contract.”
When asked if he expects to remain with the Sharks, Vlasic said “hopefully.” Jones also expressed a desire to reach a long-term deal with the club.
“Absolutely. Yeah, I love it here,” Jones said. “Like I said, the guys are great. It’s a lot of fun coming to the rink every day. City has been great. The fans are awesome, and we have a great team. I’m excited.”
Both Thornton, who has spent 12 seasons with the Sharks, and Marleau, who has played all of his 1,493 NHL games in San Jose, said Monday they want to return.
“I think this is a Stanley Cup-caliber team.” Thornton said. “Of course, I’d like to come back. But we’ll have to see. I’m sure we’ll be talking.”
When asked if he’d like to stay, Marleau said: “Yeah, it would be nice. We’ll see if that’s an option. There’s a lot a time here before the decision has to be made.”
The 37-year-old forward, who had 27 goals and 46 points this season, says he still has “another five good years” left to play, “maybe more.”
Thornton and Marleau have not started contract negotiations with the Sharks. With the expansion draft June 21, it’s unlikely either player will sign before July 1 because they would then need to be protected.
“Guys like that aren’t growing on trees,” defenseman Brent Burns said of Thornton and Marleau. “You hear about the age stuff, but those guys are both still in great shape.”