NEWARK, N.J. _ Joe Thornton flew back to San Jose on Saturday to meet with doctors after he experienced swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee following the Sharks 3-2 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings.
As a result, the Sharks placed Thornton on short-term injured reserve, recalling Dylan Gambrell from the AHL Barracuda, who joined the team at practice in Newark, N.J. on Sunday as the team prepares to play four games on the East Coast, including Monday's matinee against the New York Islanders.
Head coach Pete DeBoer said Thornton left the team for precautionary reasons, downplaying the severity of the setback. The earliest that Thornton could rejoin the team would be next Sunday in New Jersey. At this point, the Sharks don't have a timetable for Thornton's return.
"He had a little bit of swelling after the last game, and rather than continue on the road and risk anything with it, we're going to take the safe route and get him home and get it looked at," the Sharks coach said.
DeBoer said he expects to receive an update on Thornton's health at some point later in the week.
Thornton's placement on IR is the latest setback in what has been an injury plagued 17-plus months for the future Hall of Famer. First, Thornton tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee on April 2, 2017. Then, after rejoining the team less than five month after surgery, Thornton suffered the same injury in his right knee on Jan. 23.
After undergoing surgery on Jan. 25, Thornton skated with the Sharks throughout training camp and logged 14:09 of ice time Friday before deciding to return to San Jose to get his knee checked out by the same doctors he worked with throughout his recovery.
At this point, it's unclear whether the swelling is a minor setback or a preview of future tribulations for a 39-year-old veteran who's attempting a comeback from two major knee surgeries in two years.
The Sharks are hoping it's the latter.
"The trainers say it's fairly common, that it can get some fluid in there sometimes with what he's gone through," DeBoer said. "I don't think anybody is overly concerned. We're just making sure that we do this right."
Thornton flashed a moment of vintage Jumbo in Friday's win over the Kings, setting up Timo Meier's opening goal by creating space for Marc-Edouard Vlasic's point shot with a hard curl along the ride side boards. It's unclear why Thornton experienced swelling Friday night after he skated throughout the summer, participated in training camp and suited up for three preseason games.
"He hasn't missed anything. I don't know," DeBoer said. "There wasn't a play or anything. There's just some swelling in there that they wanted to look at because they don't want it to get worse.
"If we were on a short trip he might have stayed with us. If we were in the west he might have stayed with us. But to bring him all the way out (to New York) didn't make sense."
The feeling around the Sharks locker room was that if the swelling flared up at pivotal time of year _ down the stretch or in the Stanley Cup playoffs _ Thornton could have played through the setback. But it doesn't make sense to push through the swelling just two games into a season in which the Sharks are considered strong contenders to go all the way.
"With what he's been through, and where we're at right now, it would make no sense not to make sure we're doing the right thing," DeBoer said.
As disappointing as the setback is for the Sharks, the team is confident that it can absorb Thornton's loss in the short term. The Sharks got a healthy dose of what life looks like without Thornton during the second half of the season last winter and the team managed to reach the second round of the playoffs after acquiring Evander Kane at the trade deadline.
After re-signing Kane in the offseason and trading for defenseman Erik Karlsson on the eve of training camp, the Sharks are deep with talent.
"We've got some depth here," captain Joe Pavelski said. "We've been through it (before). We know how to manage it. But it takes a big effort, too."
Pavelski acknowledged that it's challenging for a competitor like Thornton to pull himself out of the lineup instead of pushing forward. Keep in mind, Thornton played four playoff games in 2017 with two ligament tears in his left knee.
"We've touched base," Pavelski said. "Obviously, he wants to be playing, especially a guy like that. He wants to skate every day. It's always hard to sit out a game or two."
In the meantime, Melker Karlsson replaced Thornton on Pavelski and Timo Meier's line at practice Sunday. Gambrell, who suited up for three games with the Sharks last season, earned the recall after putting together a dazzling performance with the Barracuda Friday, scoring a pair of goals and earning a primary assist in the team's opening night win over the Ontario Reign.
The 60th overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft woke up to the news that he was getting the nod Saturday morning.
"We had a game the night before, so I woke up to four or five (missed) calls," Gambrell said. "I was a little startled, but it was good (news)."
DeBoer said Gambrell "deserved" the recall. At this point, it's uncertain whether Gambrell with suit up for Monday's matinee against the New York Islanders or if Rourke Chartier will make his NHL debut.
"We try to do things on merit," the Sharks coach said. "Doug (Wilson) asked me what we need and I said, let's reward whoever's playing the best.
"I'm happy with how he handled having an average camp and how he went down there and played the other night."
