Confirmed with Link: Joe Thornton to Leafs [1yr/700k]

[zeke]

On the surface it did look redundant. Not mind readers, we did not know that Keefe was planning to use him on wing with our top players.

This is the exact point - more skill cannot be "redundant".

 

[Stephen]

Why Burke deserves mockery is because once again he just seemed completely baffled by the idea that skilled depth is better than goon depth.

Technically, I think both you and Burke are wrong on this one. While I could see why Burke would think having Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza might be redundant as center 'depth' on the bottom six, the unique surprise is Thornton is being utilized as a first line LW role. So price tag aside, this is starting to look like a massive addition, like probably what Buffalo was hoping for when they signed Taylor Hall.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Read burke's take and he's not criticizing Thornton the player, but rather the style he plays and how that wouldn't fit on the leafs.

As for the level of play Thornton was at, people did seem to miss that Thornton had still been getting top 6 minutes the last couple of years, and last year was the first year ever that he hadn't put up quality top 6 production....only quality 3rd line production..on a team that had a disaster year al around. There was always a decent chance that especially shifted to the easier wing position he could still be a quality top 6 producer.

Now PPG is still a surprise but we all know that's because his linemates are ridiculous. He's played very well but not ppg well.

Why Burke deserves mockery is because once again he just seemed completely baffled by the idea that skilled depth is better than goon depth.

I don't even think Burke was criticizing the signing so much as he was just curious to see how the Leafs were going to use him. You can't really criticize signing a guy to league min salary for 1 year. By the way, I don't like Burke either I am just saying here he wasn't that wrong initially.

 

[zeke]

Technically, I think both you and Burke are wrong on this one. While I could see why Burke would think having Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza might be redundant as center 'depth' on the bottom six, the unique surprise is Thornton is being utilized as a first line LW role. So price tag aside, this is starting to look like a massive addition, like probably what Buffalo was hoping for when they signed Taylor Hall.

Go back before the season and you'll find a certain poster had slotted Thornton in exactly that 1st line wing spot.

Which would mean that this wasn't a "unique surprise" to all of us.

 

[ACC1224]

Just shows our GM knows better than talking heads who crap on him.

We saw Burke's act. Epic bust. He's not in Dubas' league.

Dubas will make many mistakes over his career just like Burke and every other executive that has ever been employed

 

[RogerR]

Dubas will make many mistakes over his career just like Burke and every other executive that has ever been employed

Burke was really terrible as Leafs GM.

 

[zeke]

Dubas will make many mistakes over his career just like Burke and every other executive that has ever been employed

Some mistakes are more costly than others though.

 

[Leaftors]

Some mistakes are more costly than others though.

Like Vesey.

You could classify him as a mistake, but at least he’s not locked up for 7 years at 6.25

 

[Mickey Marner]

He's definitely better than I thought he'd be. I thought he was redundant with Spezza and lacked the foot speed to keep up with our team. I liked him as a locker room addition though. He's still smart enough to know where to be and hard to knock off the puck to allow us to cycle with him out there.

 

[ACC1224]

Burke was really terrible as Leafs GM.

He was, as were many others. Hopefully we don’t think the same of Dubas one day.

 

[ACC1224]

Some mistakes are more costly than others though.

Obviously

 

[LeafChief]

Brian Burke: "I just don't get how there's room for both Thornton and Spezza"

And then a team hired him. Figure that one out.

 

[LeafChief]

Many felt the same as Burke. Many misread the value of adding Simmonds as well

Yeah - the people that complain about everything and don't know what they're talking about.

Same people that complained about the draft. It's no secret there are a lot of idiots on here.

 

[ACC1224]

Yeah - the people that complain about everything and don't know what they're talking about.

Same people that complained about the draft. It's no secret there are a lot of idiots on here.

Simmonds was a year late, IMO. I felt the same as Burke regarding Thornton. I didn’t see the need for both he and Spezza although I preferred Thornton to Spezza. So I’m 1 for 2.
I rarely comment on the draft as I don’t follow it.

IMO, there are just as many that agree with every move as there are those that complain about everything.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Simmonds was a year late, IMO. I felt the same as Burke regarding Thornton. I didn’t see the need for both he and Spezza although I preferred Thornton to Spezza. So I’m 1 for 2.
I rarely comment on the draft as I don’t follow it.

IMO, there are just as many that agree with every move as there are those that complain about everything.

The timing for Simmonds was perfect. He was 3.5 million cheaper, and is a much better player now as he was able to recover from all of his nagging injuries

 

[LeafChief]

Simmonds was a year late, IMO. I felt the same as Burke regarding Thornton. I didn’t see the need for both he and Spezza although I preferred Thornton to Spezza. So I’m 1 for 2.
I rarely comment on the draft as I don’t follow it.

IMO, there are just as many that agree with every move as there are those that complain about everything.

Yup - those that agree with every move fall into that category as well.

There are far too many extremes on this website.

 

[ER89]

Many felt the same as Burke. Many misread the value of adding Simmonds as well

Except Burke actually got paid to build a team. You'd think he'd learn some humility at least now no?

 

[ACC1224]

Except Burke actually got paid to build a team. You'd think he'd learn some humility at least now no?

I think a large part of it is an act but you also don't get to hold the positions he has, or any pro exec for that matter, without having extreme self confidence.
The only people you ever hear put him down are message board posters, he seems real popular in the real world.

 

[ER89]

I think a large part of it is an act but you also don't get to hold the positions he has, or any pro exec for that matter, without having extreme self confidence.
The only people you ever hear put him down are message board posters, he seems real popular in the real world.

Oh for sure, I agree. But Burke seems genuinely perplexed by ideas that are opposite his- and he is liked in the real world but the NHL is an old boys club. Positions are often recycled. The guy ran a team like a dummy- his views on how to draft are ridiculous and he still won't show a speck of humility which gets annoying. He did have his good moments but he acts like he is some genius.

 

[The Shadow]

Thornton makes many small key plays that most people don’t pick up on

here is one example of many. At 4:00 in the video he nudges the defender out of position to create havoc in front of the net for Nylander. Many forwards take a beating in front but he provided the abuse to the Oiler D

 

[ACC1224]

Oh for sure, I agree. But Burke seems genuinely perplexed by ideas that are opposite his- and he is liked in the real world but the NHL is an old boys club. Positions are often recycled. The guy ran a team like a dummy- his views on how to draft are ridiculous and he still won't show a speck of humility which gets annoying. He did have his good moments but he acts like he is some genius.

I think that's a big part of it.

 

[zeke]

Simmonds was a year late, IMO. I

The year before simmonds was Clifford.

 

[Leafsfan74]

I don't even think Burke was criticizing the signing so much as he was just curious to see how the Leafs were going to use him. You can't really criticize signing a guy to league min salary for 1 year. By the way, I don't like Burke either I am just saying here he wasn't that wrong initially.

The difference is that as fans, we are on the outside looking in, compared to decision makers is in the totality of the information that have at their disposal. From conversations with the player they sign to coaches and scouts, clearly the Leafs decided that Thornton, either before or after they signed him; was going to be utilized higher up in the lineup than most expected.

I stated after the announcement that I didn't think Joe was a first line player at this stage in his career, but "maybe Joe doesn't agree with me". Based on his performance, it's safe to say he doesn't. He still has what it takes to play production minutes, especially with top end talent. If it doesn't go as planned, he can easily excel lower down the lineup, the entire team is pulling the same cart as long as they do so.

 

[Twine Tickler]

I am so pleasantly surprised by joe’s level of play. I was always a big fan of the signing and Joe. But he is playing at a very high level. He is so calm while battling along the boards. So hard to push him off the puck, he just always makes such beautiful plays on the puck. He deserves to be on the top line 100%. He is not just keeping up, he is a huge part of that line. The top line runs at a far higher efficiency when he is playing. I just hope he can play beyond this year. Still an all star IMO

 

[Acetylene]

Thought I might start a separate thread for discussions about him.

I don’t think that this signing gets enough praise, he has certainly outperformed my expectations so far. Nice pickup by Dubas!