Maple Leafs, Thornton agree to 1-year, $700K contract
Jumbo Joe is coming to T.O.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Joe Thornton to a one-year contract worth the league minimum of $700,000, the team announced Friday.
The deal includes a no-movement clause, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The future Hall of Famer is 41 years old now. He tallied seven goals and 24 assists in 70 games with the San Jose Sharks last season. He's just a year removed from a 51-point campaign, though.
Thornton maintained strong underlying numbers last season, posting an expected goals for percentage of 50.6 and a shot attempt differential of 53% at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The 6-foot-4 center is one of the most decorated players of all time. He ranks 14th on the NHL's all-time points list and has won numerous times with Team Canada on the international stage, but he's still missing a Stanley Cup from his resume. The Leafs, although talented, have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and a playoff series since 2004.
How Thornton fits with the Leafs remains to be seen. It'd seem unlikely that he'd be on the same line as veteran playmaker Jason Spezza, as both players have similar skill sets and neither are fleet of foot. Thornton could potentially serve as Toronto's third-line center, which would allow Alexander Kerfoot to play the wing.
The Leafs reportedly tried to persuade Thornton to come to Toronto in the 2017 offseason when the club signed Patrick Marleau, but the St. Thomas, Ontario native opted to re-sign in San Jose.
Thornton spent the last 15 seasons in San Jose. Prior to that, he played parts of eight campaigns with the Boston Bruins to begin his career.
Thornton's currently training overseas with HC Davos of the Swiss league.