Joe Thornton Discussion Thread

[LeafsNation75]

Might as well get a Joe Thornton thread started since yesterday Chris Johnston reported he was travelling to Toronto for the start of the season.

Plus during his recent time with HC Davos he had 11 points in 12 games played. So is that something we should read into or it won't have any effect on his play with the Maple Leafs during the 2020-21 season?

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[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I mean it's great that he got that 40 year old frame moving a bit. 9-10 months without game action would have been a long stretch for that body.

 

[Mickey Marner]

If he can give us 40ish games as a decent bottom-six center and is a positive influence in the locker room, I'll be happy.

 

[SomethingWild77]

If he can give us 40ish games as a decent bottom-six center and is a positive influence in the locker room, I'll be happy.

I do wonder how many games he will play. I haven't heard anything concrete about having a taxi squad roll with the team, so that would definitely be a factor. 40 almost seems like a high number if they are only going with the 62 game season. Depends on the schedule as well, I doubt he'd get the call on both games of a back to back.

It'd be nice to see the old goat breathe some life into the 2nd pp unit. As it stands now they're basically just warm bodies to give Matthews, Tavares and Marner a breather. I wouldn't be against him seeing some time with Matthews either.

 

[NoGoalCaufield]

Joe played his minor hockey for the St. Thomas Travelers.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I do wonder how many games he will play. I haven't heard anything concrete about having a taxi squad roll with the team, so that would definitely be a factor. 40 almost seems like a high number if they are only going with the 62 game season. Depends on the schedule as well, I doubt he'd get the call on both games of a back to back.

It'd be nice to see the old goat breathe some life into the 2nd pp unit. As it stands now they're basically just warm bodies to give Matthews, Tavares and Marner a breather. I wouldn't be against him seeing some time with Matthews either.

When Thornton was with San Jose last season he played all 70 games before the regular season had ended before and was on track to play all 82 games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

 

[Leafsfan74]

He just needs to come in and do what he's always done. Bring leadership and some bite, use his big frame and produce as he normally does. Be a good teammate by demanding the best of himself and others. He isn't coming here for offense (specifically), though if he plays on the 4th line, he will produce more than most 4th line centres. He's too proud to just go through the motions.

Marner himself in an interview has acknowledged and accepted that these veterans are coming in to "keep us young players in line". These guys are hungry and they are in T.O where winning a Cup keeps you in the cities lexicon for an eternity. You throw in a young player or two who can jump in from time to time in some back to back games, and you have a more competitive team with players at others ankles pushing them.

Yes, he isn't in his prime, but he isn't 55. He could play until he is 45 or 46. He can still play NHL hockey, he played in a fast league the last 12 games in Europe. As it is, todays athletes who take their craft seriously take care of their bodies and know how to play the game smarter to offset any loss of physical attributes. He has shown his desire to stay in top shape by playing in Europe when he could have just gone fishing. That says enough about how serious he takes this.

Any of the new additions, if they are healthy, could perform better than most of us expect They just need to bring what we expect they will bring and have some pride. Joe is no different.

 

[SomethingWild77]

When Thornton was with San Jose last season he played all 70 games before the regular season had ended before and was on track to play all 82 games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Eh, maybe I'm making out his age to be a bigger factor than it really is. Still think a taxi squad will make the bottom six a revolving door though.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

I’ll be comparing him to Eric Staal in Buffalo to see how close they are in points. I think it will be fairly close for only 1/5 the cost

 

[ponder]

I’m a Leafs fan, born in Toronto but live in Vancouver, so I catch plenty of Sharks games. People who don’t watch Joe are gonna be surprised by how much he has left in the tank. At 41 you’d think he’d be done, but he still looked like a quality NHL centre last year. If he can maintain that level of play, he’ll be a solid 3C for us. His 2019/20 highlights:



If there’s someone I’m concerned about being over the hill, it’s Simmonds. He’s only 32, but he’s slowed down a lot, I do think he’s having some trouble keeping up with the play. Thornton, in contrast, really hasn’t slowed down that much. I’d compare his current mobility to Spezza, and mobility hasn’t been a problem for Spezza on the Leafs.

 

[Stephen]

Curious to see who is the better player between Thornton and Spezza. Spezza is actually quite a bit younger with four years on Jumbo, but his decline in production has been steeper since about 2017. My gut feeling tells me Jumbo has a little more gas left in the tank.

 

[Stephen]

I’ll be comparing him to Eric Staal in Buffalo to see how close they are in points. I think it will be fairly close for only 1/5 the cost

I'm actually half expecting Eric Staal to pull a Jason Spezza one of these years and finish his career in Toronto. Something tells me Buffalo isn't going to be his forever home.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I'm actually half expecting Eric Staal to pull a Jason Spezza one of these years and finish his career in Toronto. Something tells me Buffalo isn't going to be his forever home.

When it comes to seeing something like that today earlier on That's Hockey they had Dave Poulin on saying which current UFA's should sign with what team. He said Corey Perry should sign with Toronto and I remember you saying the Leafs need to sign him.

NHL UFA matchmaker

 

[LeafsNation75]

Curious to see who is the better player between Thornton and Spezza. Spezza is actually quite a bit younger with four years on Jumbo, but his decline in production has been steeper since about 2017. My gut feeling tells me Jumbo has a little more gas left in the tank.

Since Thornton is making $700,000 and Spezza re-signed for $700,000 as long as their play doesn't fall off a cliff next season, we shouldn't go expecting them to play like they did 10 years ago and hope for the best.

 

[Stephen]

When it comes to seeing something like that today earlier on That's Hockey they had Dave Poulin on saying which current UFA's should sign with what team. He said Corey Perry should sign with Toronto and I remember you saying the Leafs need to sign him.

NHL UFA matchmaker

Yeah, I think Perry would be a nice greasy fit here. They were talking about augmenting the personalities in this group and a villain like him would drag some guys into sticky situations.

 

[Buds17]

I'd be good with around 25 pts. for the season projection of 56 games. The possibility exists that he doesn't play in every game though.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Chances are Thornton doesn't sign in Toronto if the Leafs still had Nazem Kadri, however I was thinking if he was still on the team how things between him and Thornton would be. Obviously I'm referring to that time when Kadri ripped out a chunk of his beard in a fight and the Sharks players didn't like it, because the next season after that they went after Kadri to get revenge.

 

[Antropovsky]

He just needs to come in and do what he's always done. Bring leadership and some bite, use his big frame and produce as he normally does. Be a good teammate by demanding the best of himself and others. He isn't coming here for offense (specifically), though if he plays on the 4th line, he will produce more than most 4th line centres. He's too proud to just go through the motions.

Marner himself in an interview has acknowledged and accepted that these veterans are coming in to "keep us young players in line". These guys are hungry and they are in T.O where winning a Cup keeps you in the cities lexicon for an eternity. You throw in a young player or two who can jump in from time to time in some back to back games, and you have a more competitive team with players at others ankles pushing them.

Yes, he isn't in his prime, but he isn't 55. He could play until he is 45 or 46. He can still play NHL hockey, he played in a fast league the last 12 games in Europe. As it is, todays athletes who take their craft seriously take care of their bodies and know how to play the game smarter to offset any loss of physical attributes. He has shown his desire to stay in top shape by playing in Europe when he could have just gone fishing. That says enough about how serious he takes this.

Any of the new additions, if they are healthy, could perform better than most of us expect They just need to bring what we expect they will bring and have some pride. Joe is no different.

Keep us young players in line? This is the guy who wanted a C? Inspiring words - spoken like a true leader.

This is a sentence I would want from my leadership:

Joe Thornton wants a cup and we have the team to do it.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Keep us young players in line? This is the guy who wanted a C? Inspiring words - spoken like a true leader.

This is a sentence I would want from my leadership:

Joe Thornton wants a cup and we have the team to do it.

After Thornton signed and was doing interviews with the Toronto media, he did say he wants to win a Stanley Cup and it's why he choose to sign with the Maple Leafs.

 

[Confucius]

After Thornton signed and was doing interviews with the Toronto media, he did say he wants to win a Stanley Cup and it's why he choose to sign with the Maple Leafs.

Shocking to see the change in the way we are perceived now, we've come a long way.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

I hope for 40ish point player who'll get the young guys in line. I'd hope that from Simmonds as well. Between Simmonds, Spezza, Brodie and Thornton you'd hope that the young core will figure it out come playoff time. There's no more excuses to be made.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Yeah, I think Perry would be a nice greasy fit here. They were talking about augmenting the personalities in this group and a villain like him would drag some guys into sticky situations.

Didnt even realise he was still a UFA given he'd probably take 700k from just about anyone right now. We've gotten slower this off-season and Perry only adds to that but I definitely wouldn't mind adding another dirtbag like him, even in a 4th line role. We've lacked those guys you hate to play against after the whistle.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Keep us young players in line? This is the guy who wanted a C? Inspiring words - spoken like a true leader.

This is a sentence I would want from my leadership:

Joe Thornton wants a cup and we have the team to do it.

Well in fairness, I was going by memory, it's tomato/tomatoe but he said something to that effect. Might have said "keep us on track", or something similar. Regardless, his point was that as a group, veteran leadership is important as it keeps the younger players focused and accountable.

I think it's a positive that he recognizes this. He is accepting of the fact that they needed some veteran leadership and isn't resisting it. In all sports, leaders come in different forms. There is no substitute for a veteran presence that reminds players "oh yeah, we have to work hard to stay in this league". Even corporations have a bunch of new hires who look to the long time employees for guidance.

 

[Stephen]

Didnt even realise he was still a UFA given he'd probably take 700k from just about anyone right now. We've gotten slower this off-season and Perry only adds to that but I definitely wouldn't mind adding another dirtbag like him, even in a 4th line role. We've lacked those guys you hate to play against after the whistle.

His foot speed would be an issue and the mix on the roster is definitely skewing older in a hurry with the additions we made but yeah, Perry would be a good fit for all the after the whistle stuff. I think he’s moved back to London Ontario permanently. His mansion was featured in Architectural Digest recently so I would imagine he would be willing to take a Spezza Thornton special and win one more cup with the local team.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Shocking to see the change in the way we are perceived now, we've come a long way.

So much for those Leafs haters who look at their first round loses or losing to Columbus in the qualifying round as a reason not to call the Leafs contenders.