The San Jose Sharks forward had an arthroscopic procedure performed Thursday afternoon to address an issue with his right MCL, general manager Doug Wilson revealed Thursday night.
The GM said no timetable has been established for Thornton's recovery, despite estimating Wednesday the 38-year-old would likely be out for several weeks.
Boyle has been one of the best stories of the NHL season, returning to action Nov. 1 after being diagnosed with leukemia. He has 11 goals and 17 points in 38 games.
This will be Boyle's first All-Star appearance in his 11-year career.
In doing so, Ovechkin became just the 10th player in NHL history to record 13 or more 30-goal seasons and the sixth skater to tally 13 consecutive 30-goal campaigns.
#Caps Alex Ovechkin joins Mike Gartner (15) and Wayne Gretzky (13) as the only players in NHL history with at least 13 consecutive 30-goal campaigns to begin their careers. Worth noting, Ovechkin did that with a lockout-shortened season in there too
Ovechkin is now just three goals shy of matching his output from last season and continues to pace the league in that category as he chases his seventh "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
The Detroit Red Wings have reportedly declared themselves sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Even though the team sits nine points out of a playoff spot, there are still available assets that many teams would covet for a Cup run.
Jimmy Howard
Team that should be most interested: New York Islanders Contract: $5.29M cap hit through 2018-19
If the Islanders received league-average goaltending this season, the club would probably be sitting comfortably in a playoff spot instead of two points out. The same could be said for the Carolina Hurricanes, but there's a lot more on the line for the Isles given John Tavares' expiring contract.
Howard's numbers don't jump off the page - a .913 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average - but he'd certainly be an upgrade over the Jaroslav Halak-Thomas Greiss tandem that has posted a combined .898 SV% and 3.49 GAA.
The Islanders could also stand to add a defenseman or two to help shore things up on the back end, but bringing in a solid, veteran netminder would be a good start to complement one of the league's most potent offenses.
Halak's expiring contract would likely have to be sent the other way to balance things out with the Islanders right up against the cap.
Mike Green
Team that should be most interested: Toronto Maple Leafs Contract: $6M cap hit, UFA after this season
We've already looked at which teams should pursue Mike Green, and after a few more weeks of play and further consideration, the Leafs should be pushing the most. Life without Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev on the back end has exposed the team's depth on the blue line.
Travis Dermott has shown signs that he can be a top-four D-man one day, but if the Leafs want to achieve their goal of winning a Cup, a bottom pairing featuring a combination of Dermott, Roman Polak, Andreas Borgman, and Connor Carrick isn't going to cut it - especially when the top four isn't anything to write home about.
Green isn't the sturdy, stay-at-home guy that might fit the Leafs best, but he's arguably the top rearguard on the market. Moreover, his right-handedness would help balance out a left-heavy blue line and would serve as a much-needed right-handed trigger man on the power play. The Leafs would have to get creative to take on Green's salary, but it would be well worth it.
Gustav Nyquist
Team that should be most interested: St. Louis Blues Contract: $4.75M cap hit through 2018-19
The Blues are one of the most complete teams in the league, but to make a serious run at the Cup, they need to add scoring depth. In steps Nyquist, who, even on one of the league's worst offenses, has still managed to pot 14 goals thus far.
The Blues have plenty of prospect ammunition to acquire Nyquist. Though they would also have to get creative with the cap, it would be worth it given the extra year of Nyquist's services.
With their historic playoff streak now only a memory, the Detroit Red Wings find themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum, and have informed teams they're ready to sell current assets for future ones ahead of the trade deadline, a source told The Athletic's Craig Custance.
Entering Thursday's games, the Red Wings sit 13 points back of the final playoff position in the Atlantic Division and 11 shy of the second wild-card spot, all but surely signaling the second consecutive season Detroit will miss the playoffs after 25 straight years of postseason play.
The most likely candidate to be shipped out is defenseman Mike Green, a pending unrestricted free agent, but Custance indicates more players could be made available for the right deal.
There's now one more way to win big in Sin City, as placing a wager on the expansion Vegas Golden Knights has proven to be an excellent source of extra income.
Except, of course, if you're the one taking the bets.
"We've been getting our butts kicked," South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro told ESPN's Doug Kezirian. "We should rename it 'free date night.' A guy invites a girl out to dinner and stops at the sportsbook on the way to the game. What she doesn't realize is we are paying for everything."
The first-year club is the biggest surprise of the season, and has easily surpassed pundits' and oddsmakers' low expectations. The Golden Knights sit atop the Western Conference after a 32-11-4 showing through 47 games, good for 68 points. That means they're already ahead of their 26.5 over/under mark for wins and knocking on the door of their 68.5-point season projection. There's no better team on home ice, either; Vegas has dropped just two of 23 contests at T-Mobile Arena.
"The betting public found a new ATM," said Westgate Las Vegas Superbook oddsmaker and manager John Murray. "It's called the Golden Knights."
Nowadays, the house is putting a little more faith in the hometown team. Westgate's latest odds tab the Golden Knights as 7-1 favorites - behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning - to win the Stanley Cup.
Schwartz took a shot off his ankle Dec. 9, and the Blues have struggled ever since, posting a 9-10-1 record. Before his injury, St. Louis was 20-8-2 while averaging 3.3 goals per game.
Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, and Vladimir Tarasenko made up one of the NHL's top lines, and his return should help replenish an attack that ranks dead last with 2.11 goals per contest since the trio was forced apart.
In 30 games this season, Schwartz ranks third on the Blues with 35 points.
Quick pulled out of the festivities Wednesday due to a "nagging injury."
Smith joins Vegas netminder Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes for the Pacific. In his first season with the Flames, he has won 20 games and posted a strong .926 save percentage in 41 starts.
The Senators are in the initial stages of a move to downtown Ottawa.
On Thursday, the National Capital Commission announced it has signed an agreement in principle with RendezVous LeBreton for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats, a downtown Ottawa neighborhood where the hockey team wants to build a new arena.
The Senators currently play out of the Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata. The hope is that a move to a more accessible arena in the downtown core will improve attendance figures.
A joint venture between Trinity Development and the Senators, RendezVous LeBreton now holds exclusive negotiation rights as it works toward a master agreement with the National Capital Commission. That process could take more than one year, reports Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, on hand for Thursday's announcement, said in a statement, "(I am) thrilled to move one step closer to bringing fans a more enjoyable experience."
