Thornton fully recovered following offseason knee surgery
Just what the doctor ordered.
San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton is back to perfect health after offseason surgery to repair ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.
"I feel good," Thornton said from Sharks' training camp, per Eric Gilmore of NHL.com. "I rehabbed hard this summer. The knee feels great, to be honest with you. It feels real good.
"It was pretty much just to get my knee strong again. But they feel real strong. I feel a lot of pop out there. They're probably as strong as they've ever been just because I had to rehab that knee so much."
Despite the injury, which he suffered in the final week of the season, Thornton made a remarkable appearance during San Jose's first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.
"The amount of work he's put in rehab-wise and fitness-wise is such an inspiration to everybody in this organization," added Sharks general manager Doug Wilson. "If we were starting (the season) tomorrow, he'd be ready to go."
The 38-year-old became an unrestricted free agent this summer but quickly re-upped with the Sharks on a one-year, $8-million extension.
Whether the short-term deal is an indication that Thornton sees 2017-18 as his final campaign is an unknown. Still, there is plenty to play for, as the accomplished center remains in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.
Thornton will have at least one honor to his name this season, as he becomes the NHL's active leader in all-time scoring after free agent Jaromir Jagr was unable to secure a contract.
In 1,446 career games, Thornton has tallied 384 goals and 1,007 assists to sit tied for 22nd in all-time scoring. He can move into the top-10 in the all-time assists category with 33 helpers this year.
Thornton recorded seven goals and 43 assists last season.