Michael Chaput

Toward the end of the first period in tonight’s San Jose Sharks contest against the Vancouver Canucks, Sharks veteran Joe Thornton collided with Canucks forward Michael Chaput and injured his left knee. As you can see, Thornton’s knee appeared to bend backward and then buckle under his weight. Thornton was helped to the bench and labored toward the tunnel. Thornton reportedly “crawled” toward the locker room, unable to put any weigh on his left leg. There is no word yet on the specifics or severity of the damage, but as of now it looks to be a serious injury. The Shark announced that Thornton’s return was questionable, but the optics of the hit suggest that, at the very least, Thornton is done for the night.

Thornton, likely a future Hockey Hall of Famer, has still been putting up big numbers at age 37, with 50 points through 78 games thus far. However, at 6’4″, 220 lbs., “Jumbo Joe” has less margin for error when it comes to injury relative to his aging peers. With a big frame and a powerful stride, Thornton can ill-afford to have a lower body injury, but that is certainly how things appear as of now. Serious injury or not, Thornton can expect to miss some time as a result of the collision. The defending Western Conference champions normally have the depth to deal with a loss up front, even one as major as Thornton, but with Logan Couture already sidelined, things may become difficult in San Jose. The Sharks have already been struggling of late, with just two wins in their last ten games, and Thornton missing time won’t help the matter. Rather than battling the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific Division, the Sharks may now be using their stretch run to fend off the Calgary Flames and to jostle for position with the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators in hopes of not playing the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. Regardless of their final position, the Sharks Stanley Cup hopes would take a major hit if Thornton’s season is over.

Beyond just 2016-17, a serious injury for Thornton could raise major concerns over his future and the Sharks’ off-season plans. Thornton is an unrestricted free agent this summer, previously ranked third overall of the class by PHR, and many expected the Sharks to retain their star veteran at all cost. However, a heavy forward in his late 30’s coming off a career-low in goals already has some red flags, and adding a major knee injury could take extending Thornton off the table for San Jose and could potentially make it hard for him to find a job this summer. For Thornton and all Sharks fans, the hope is that the injury is not that serious and this scenario never comes to fruition. For now, the assumption is otherwise.