Joe Thornton’s 2016-17 season was characterized by a pretty significant step back in production and possession, but before we really dig in, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves that a down year for Thornton means he was not absurdly, unreasonably dominant; merely very, very good. At 37, it’s not much of a stretch to attribute at least some of this decline to age. In fact, Thornton was the 12th oldest player to suit up for an NHL team this season (Marleau was 13th), and his 50 points were more than anyone in the top 20 except for Henriks Zetterberg (17th) and Sedin (18th).
2016-17 Season in Review: Joe Thornton
