Oct 14: Not that Johnston and Mirtle needed backup, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic have both now reported interest between the Maple Leafs and Thornton. Friedman notes that several core players for Toronto have pitched the veteran forward, while LeBrun tweets that both head coach Sheldon Keefe and GM Kyle Dubas have spoken with him.
Oct 13: Once again, smoke is building around Joe Thornton and the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the veteran forward was linked to the team in the 2017 offseason (when teammate Patrick Marleau signed a three-year deal with Toronto), there has been a lingering notion that he could consider a return to Ontario at some point.
On a recent Steve Dangle Podcast, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston implied that the two sides have had mutual interest, and now James Mirtle of The Athletic has written something similar:
These talks are in the beginning stages. It sounds like there’s some mutual interest. The Leafs, as they did during free agency in 2017, have let Thornton know he’s wanted. And Thornton is listening, from his offseason home in Switzerland, where he’s been training with a top-league club.
For a while, there has been a belief that Thornton would take his time with any decision on his NHL future. The 2020-21 season is still completely shrouded in uncertainty, with no concrete date for the start of training camp or the regular season. But if the 41-year-old center does want to come back, it’s no longer a slam dunk that he will be returning to the San Jose Sharks.
While the Sharks did just bring back Marleau to chase Gordie Howe’s games played record and are obviously still a contender should Thornton return, the situation feels different this summer. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweeted as much earlier this month, saying that though it felt inevitable that Thornton would return to the Sharks when he became a free agent in 2019, he has “gotten no indications that he’s a sure thing to return” this time around.
The Maple Leafs have already made sweeping changes to their bottom-six forward group for next season, moving out Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, and Frederik Gauthier while bringing in Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey, Joey Anderson, and Travis Boyd. They currently still have Alexander Kerfoot penciled into the third-line center role, but the team is barely under the cap and could need to make additional moves if they are looking at any other free agent upgrades.
Thornton, meanwhile, is coming off his worst season in two decades. The Sharks legend scored just seven goals and 31 points in 2019-20, his lowest total since that 1997-98 rookie campaign. He was frustrated when the Sharks didn’t move him to a contender at the deadline, telling reporters that “it would have been nice to at least have a chance” at the Stanley Cup, a prize that has eluded him over a 22-year career.
Mirtle and Johnston both were clear to point out that things are very preliminary between the Maple Leafs and Thornton, to the point where it may be just an expressed interest, not even negotiations. But the two sides have certainly flirted before.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
He should wear the blue and white! He will bring experience and size! That’s for sure!
Thornton on the 3rd between Robertson and Soup could be deadly
can he keep up speed wise with those two?
Who cares as long as he can dish the puck, has speed ever really been jumbos game?
he has to be remotely near them to even get the puck.
Joe Thornton is San Jose Shark !!
Boston Bruin
do it!!!!!! (for more than one year)
that way when they realize they overpaid him (not saying he can’t be useful at all, just they signed Spezza to do the same thing right) they have to attach a draft pick to him to get rid of him further cementing the ineptitude of the leafs brass.
that’s a lot of hate. the leafs aren’t making the Marleau mistake. if Joe signs it’s for likely 1 mill or less on a one year deal
their track record with recent contracts says enough I would think. tbh I’m not a leafs fan, but a fan of a team in the same division, so any ineptitude on their part is always welcomed.
you seem to have the blind misdirected rage of a Sens fan who is hanging on bitterly to a rivalry?
The Marleau deal was Lamoriello’s mistake, not Dubas. Dubas cleaned it up at the cost of a first round pick.
How did it work out the last time they brought a Sharks legend to town?
Quite well the first year
Thornton will be in the Hall of Fame one day, but I’d rather have Mark Jankowski today.
The Leafs might have to sign him and trade Kerfoot just for cap reasons, though.
He will only sign with Toronto if he’s guaranteed a spot in Matthews & Marner’s next super lit iPhone commercial.
Why is everyone linked to the maple leafs? Do want want to play with George Armstrong or Custer?
Not this Stars fan. I just find it VERY weird any guy from that area who is a FA want’s to play for the leafs. Let him Sign. If he truly wanted to go somewhere he would have. He is OLD AND DONE.If he really wanted a ring to could have gone somewhere and tried to go one.He is now a has been.This isn’t 1967.
@shawn baber – From what I’ve read and heard, Jumbo did want to go to a contender. The problem was, he was too restrictive in his desired destinations. Those teams at the top of his list weren’t interested, but the lesser teams were. That didn’t sit well with him. “How could Patrick Marleau get traded, but not me?” Now, the COVID-cap could (possibly) push him into retirement, with no Cup. It might be many years before another Ray Bourque-type situation could be made to happen.
What i don’t understand is why people are saying he’s “finished”. He still put up 31 points in his worst year… isnt that the average 4th liner or even 3rd liner? He’s no longer an all star i agree, but you aren’t paying him much more than a million if that.
I may be a little biased as a Sharks fan who would be happy to see him back in teal specifically just to mentor the younger kids that’ll be up im sure.
But I think the criticism is majorly overblown
Another defenseless wonder, just what the Lafs need LMAO!! Bust organization.