Sharks' Thornton to the IR

Curious happenings on Sunday morning, as the San Jose Sharks reportedly placed veteran forward Joe Thornton on the Injured Reserve and recalled forward Dylan Gambrell to take his place on the roster for the time being.  When the news had dropped, there was really no indication that there was anything really wrong with the 39-year old, having played on Friday night against the Kings.

Thornton was not on the ice for practice on Sunday and then news dropped that he was going on the IR and finally, the reports were out that the veteran had seen some swelling in his surgically repaired knee and the team was going to be very cautious with him moving forward, giving him some time off.

The placement on the IR means that Thornton will miss a week's worth of action, at least, eligible to come off next Sunday, when the Sharks visit the Devils.  In that time, the Sharks will play three games, Monday in Brooklyn, Tuesday in Philadelphia and Thursday on Broadway.

Thornton has 1 assist in his first two games of the season, which isn't a terrible return, but missing out on the next three games certainly won't help.  Dale C. picked him up in the 8th round and was hoping for a bargain pick, but if his knee is going to be somewhat wonky, the drop down to the mid-rounds in the draft may have been justified.

Dale's team currently sits in 20th after Saturday night, 15 points back of 1st place.