Jumbo is on his way to Sunrise. The Florida Panthers have signed Joe Thornton to a one-year contract for the 2021-22 season. The deal is worth the league minimum of $750K. GM Bill Zito released a statement explaining the move.
With more than 1,600 games played in the NHL, Joe will bring a wealth of experience to our locker room and lineup. His drive to succeed is unmistakable and we are thrilled that he chose to sign with our club and that he believes in what we are building here in South Florida.
Thornton, 42, continues his chase for the elusive Stanley Cup with another contender, joining the loaded Panthers forward group as a potential depth option. Last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs the former Hart Trophy winner started on the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but was barely playing by the time the team was eliminated from the postseason. In 44 regular season games, Thornton recorded five goals and 20 points, while he added just one goal in the playoffs.
There are certain things that Thornton can still do well, but overall his game has diminished considerably over the last few years. Even in 2018-19 he recorded 16 goals and 51 points for the San Jose Sharks, totals he has barely matched in the two seasons since combined.
In Florida, he won’t be asked to play top-six minutes given their impressive depth. Even players like Anthony Duclair, Frank Vatrano or Patric Hornqvist might find themselves in the bottom-six depending on how things shake out, meaning there won’t be many minutes left for the grizzled Thornton.
Still, he certainly brings no lack of experience to the table. Thornton sits sixth all-time in games played and could potentially reach third if he plays in the majority of games next season. At some point, things will have to end for the legendary forward, but it’s not just yet.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Not something I’d expect
He’ll be like the rest of the senior citizens waiting for the blue bird special.
looking to save on taxes wherever he can now.
Well it is where old people go to retire!
Today, you win.
Heaven’s waiting room as South Florida is known
Well, @Gavin, I’m with @Eovaldismemes here. That’s a bit of a surprise. Must be the power of “Q”…
Hate to break it to you but your sure not winning a cup with the panthers.
Are his odds worse than if he was still in Toronto or San Jose?
Panthers > Leafs
This is a shocker to say the least. Good luck Jumbo!
One and done for Jumbo’s Toronto Cup hopes eh? Kinda funny.
Yeah, I kinda question Joe’s agent. There are other sure fire contenders out there that I’m sure could use him at that price. A minimum contract like his would be useful to contenders with little salary cap room, like Vegas, Colorado, Tampa Bay… But I guess they had no interest in him. I wouldn’t put Florida in the same tier as those guys. Florida would prob be in the same tier as Toronto, NYI, Carolina, Dallas… But good for Jumbo Joe! Hope he finally wins that elusive cup before he retires!
Yeah, but you’re missing a point: that assumes that Vegas, Colorado or Tampa WANT him. The guy just can’t play any more.
109% agreed, Joe just can’t play at the NHL level anymore.
It’s been proved for the last 3 yrs, not just last yr.
@nha – Yeah, I don’t know, he wasn’t playing too bad until he got injured. He had a good string of games in Feb, but wasn’t the same after missing a few games.
I mean, he never really had the footspeed to keep up with fast skaters, but I thought he was a smart player and could still elevate your bottom 6. Kinda like when Jagr came back from Europe.
Thornton actually looked decent early on last season. It seemed like he still had some hockey left in him. But as the season progressed, and teams tightened up their systems, he became a complete non-factor. Had a tough time winning puck battles and was one or two steps behind everyone else on the ice.
Weird signing for FLA. I guess he could contribute on PP2? I’ll be surprised if he’s not a healthy scratch for a good chunk of the year.
The best I see is getting some time on the second power play unit, and can take up some space in front of the net.