Joe Thornton gets new knees for 2018-19. Thinks he'll contribute a lot alongside Kane

[MacDonald4MVP]

Henrik Sedin got 50 this year and he is much less gifted in terms of physical tools. Thornton should still be fine.

 

[Mattb124]

His lack of speed absolutely was an issue last year, watching Thornton out in 3-on-3 OT brought me some good laughs.

Yeah, him being on the ice for 1 OT goal against (that a lack of footspeed had nothing to do with) is pretty indicative he is done as an NHL player. Never mind he was a + player in OT on the season. Funny stuff indeed...

 

[WTFetus]

I'll trust Zadina, Ras, Mantha, Larkin

Solid job completely ignoring the context of the response.

 

[Mikeshane]

Yeah, him being on the ice for 1 OT goal against (that a lack of footspeed had nothing to do with) is pretty indicative he is done as an NHL player. Never mind he was a + player in OT on the season. Funny stuff indeed...

I don't usually derive skating speed from plus/minus.

 

[WTFetus]

I don't usually derive skating speed from plus/minus.

You should've used a different argument than sudden death 3-on-3 then, considering it's of the few instances where +/- is actually fairly indicative. Unless you think scoring more goals than allowing in OT is laughable.
You honestly could have used a number of other scenarios to criticize his speed, but you used one of the worst ones.

 

[BeastoftheEast85]

Have to give Credit where credit is due. Thornton is one of the best scorers of modern hockey. He has put up about as many points has post lockout as Crosby and still put up over 450 points pre lockout . If he can keep it up for 3 or 4 more seasons and put up 170 or so points could end up top 10 all time for scoring and top 4 for era adjusted scoring. He would already be just about there if not for the 1.5 lockouts he’s been though.

 

[Mikeshane]

You should've used a different argument than sudden death 3-on-3 then, considering it's of the few instances where +/- is actually fairly indicative. Unless you think scoring more goals than allowing in OT is laughable.
You honestly could have used a number of other scenarios to criticize his speed, but you used one of the worst ones.

What I said was fine, I laughed at Thornton last year and I'll do it again this year. I don't need any stats to help me figure out that Thornton is very slow.

 

[Mattb124]

What I said was fine, I laughed at Thornton last year and I'll do it again this year. I don't need any stats to help me figure out that Thornton is very slow.

And we will laugh at the guy who seems willing to suggest OT wins isn't a meaningful stat in order to win an argument on the internet.

 

[Yamazaki]

He should have asked for a new heart

 

[Mikeshane]

And we will laugh at the guy who seems willing to suggest OT wins isn't a meaningful stat in order to win an argument on the internet.

That's one hell of a strawman you've build there.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

I trust Kane, Hertl, Burns, Couture, Vlasic and Jones more than I trust Abdelkader, Helm, Nielsen, Glendening, Dekeyser and Bernier.

I think people just think San Jose is an aging team because they’ve been good for so long and we’re always thought of as Thornton and marrleau despite not having either most of last year lol.

I think the sharks got a lot of good kids and perhaps the most underrated back end in the league counting jones and dell.

Even the coach seems great.

I’m just not sold on Kane. He looked great at the beginning with Bufffalo too but once he got taken off the top line he went from 16 goals 36 points in 39 games to a 19 game scoreless drought playing with ROR on Line two and only got 3 goals and 3 assists , a total of 6 points in the next 21 games.

I figured a honeymoon period would come right when went to SJ and it did.

As long as he plays with a great to elite Center (which you have a couple of, and he’s motivated he should always score around 30. But living that close to Vegas and in Cali and just knowing his lifestyle (and the fact he got his big long contract no less) the great management in San Jose that is known to turn players around needs to keep an eye on him.

I would be stunned. Absolutely stunned if he hit 40. Even on the Sharks. He’s not consistent enough IMO.

 

[Alwalys]

His lack of speed absolutely was an issue last year, watching Thornton out in 3-on-3 OT brought me some good laughs.

Narratardation. Pavelski is significantly slower than Thornton.

 

[Alwalys]

This is a guy that scored 7 goals and 50 points his last full season...and is now 39.

The f*** are you even talking about? he scored 82 points in his last full season.

 

[Flamesjustwin]

Joe will bounce back, I think 70 points is possible.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

The **** are you even talking about? he scored 82 points in his last full season.

I counted 79 games as his last full season.

We can go back two full years to keep pretending Joe is still a good player, though. The fall will just be that much bigger

 

[izzy]

Hertl has never scored 50 points. Kane is basically a 40-50 point guy these days.

Couture has peaked and while he's good, he'll probably start a slow decline in the next couple of seasons.

I guess there is plenty of time to draft/develop someone to replace Couture, but the last Couture level player the Sharks drafted and developed was Couture himself who they drafted in 2007. That's over ten years ago, so drafting a Couture level player is easier said than done.

And a team with Couture/Kane/Hertl as it's three best forwards isn't a perennial playoff team.

i tried 2 tell you buddy

 

[TomasHertlsRooster]

i tried 2 tell you buddy

2 photos taken moments before disaster:

 

[Mulletman]

Looks like things didn't go like Thornton had planned. A few missed games and the Sharks paid him back by reducing both his icetime and his powerplay role. No more playing with Kane, instead he's stuck in the bottom 6 with a talentless vanilla midget like Kevin LaBanc...

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

2 photos taken moments before disaster:

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Looks like things didn't go like Thornton had planned. A few missed games and the Sharks paid him back by reducing both his icetime and his powerplay role. No more playing with Kane, instead he's stuck in the bottom 6 with a talentless vanilla midget like Kevin LaBanc...

The guy that had a hattrick 2 days ago?

 

[Mulletman]

The guy that had a hattrick 2 days ago?

Yeah, but that was Thornton carrying him as well. Thornton should be in the top 6 with more icetime, it's as simple as that. Thornton still has that Point per game hockey player in him, it's just the Sharks holding him back...

And with the Sharks slowplaying Karlsson too and keeping him out of the lineup, the Sharks scoring is falling apart. Mulletman predicted 5 80 Point scorers or 7 70 Point scorers (if the scoring is more spread out) for the Sharks before the season started, but because the Sharks and their alternative motives it's all falling apart...

 

[avsfan09]

Yeah, but that was Thornton carrying him as well. Thornton should be in the top 6 with more icetime, it's as simple as that. Thornton still has that Point per game hockey player in him, it's just the Sharks holding him back...

And with the Sharks slowplaying Karlsson too and keeping him out of the lineup, the Sharks scoring is falling apart. Mulletman predicted 5 80 Point scorers or 7 70 Point scorers (if the scoring is more spread out) for the Sharks before the season started, but because the Sharks and their alternative motives it's all falling apart...

What possible motives would they have to hold back their own players and team?

 

[Mulletman]

What possible motives would they have to hold back their own players and team?

Simple. Karlsson plays less games, he'll score less Points and the Sharks can then sign him on a long term deal for cheaper. But if Karlsson had ended up with a career high in Points this season, the Sharks would most likely have had to pay him another million or two on top of what they'll end up paying him on his next deal now.

With Thornton it gives the Sharks an easy out to not sign him next year. It's clear that the Sharks don't want to hold on to Thornton until he truly declines. The Sharks are looking to avoid what Anaheim did with Selanne and are looking to copy what Calgary did with Iginla instead. If Thornton ends up with 40-45 Points this year, which he most likely will, no Sharks fan will be upset if he's not re-signed.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Simple. Karlsson plays less games, he'll score less Points and the Sharks can then sign him on a long term deal for cheaper. But if Karlsson had ended up with a career high in Points this season, the Sharks would most likely have had to pay him another million or two on top of what they'll end up paying him on his next deal now.

With Thornton it gives the Sharks an easy out to not sign him next year. It's clear that the Sharks don't want to hold on to Thornton until he truly declines. The Sharks are looking to avoid what Anaheim did with Selanne and are looking to copy what Calgary did with Iginla instead. If Thornton ends up with 40-45 Points this year, which he most likely will, no Sharks fan will be upset if he's not re-signed.

Your world makes no sense

 

[Alwalys]

Mulletman is a generational hot take artist.