Joe Thornton Discussion Thread

[Cpt Maple Leaf]

I like Jumbo, but as aforementioned he is looking really out of place as late. Funniest quote I have read Was from yesterday’s GDT He looks like he is looking for his keys in the parking lot. Character can only get you so far, I wish he was playing better but he is kind of a liability at this point.

 

[Iapyi]

I'm not going to pee on Thornton but when he missed those games earlier this year I honestly at first thought he was being held out intentionally so as to manage his usage.

I was going through a very busy time then and generally will go through long phases of time when I don't pay any attention to the media and just watch the games.

 

[Morbo]

Going in I never expected more than 4th line out of Joe. I think that's where he fits.

 

[Popeye7735]

Make him an assistant coach and let him retire with honor.

 

[DaWatcher]

I think we lack speed in our line up. Having Spezza as our veteran presence is enough. It is time to start managing Thornton's gametime.

 

[Chevboyarsky]

Dude is slow as f$%^. Every play dies on his stick and he genuinely looks surprised when he ends up with the puck on his stick. Even 4th line duties are a liability IMO.

Press box him for a bit and see what happens. Doubt the end result will be worse than what we've been seeing.

Massive respect for the career but "You gotta know when to fold'em" and all.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Dude is slow as f$%^. Every play dies on his stick and he genuinely looks surprised when he ends up with the puck on his stick. Even 4th line duties are a liability IMO.

Press box him for a bit and see what happens. Doubt the end result will be worse than what we've been seeing.

Massive respect for the career but "You gotta know when to fold'em" and all.

Yes whatever line he goes on now that line is shorthanded ... if we had CAP room and could carry 13 forwards it might work with Jumbo getting limited minutes on ozone faceoffs and PP ... but reality is we don't we are a CAP team and there is no room in reg season ... in playoffs different story as da interference, holding, etc won't get called so he will look a little better

 

[Stephen]

Here's a video of a young Joe Thornton fighting Bryan McCabe. Strange to think this is the same lifetime and he still plays in that building:

 

[wingman75]

I think his importance is more in the room and on the bench then on the ice. Pretty sure he was aware of this, just Keefe wasn't lol.
I am good with him getting 4th line minutes in protected situations.
Anyone expecting anything more than 4th line slow winger production is crazy at this point. Again, his leadership is vocal, not visual.

 

[VanW27]

I think his importance is more in the room and on the bench then on the ice. Pretty sure he was aware of this, just Keefe wasn't lol.
I am good with him getting 4th line minutes in protected situations.
Anyone expecting anything more than 4th line slow winger production is crazy at this point. Again, his leadership is vocal, not visual.

The problem is we already have 2 other vets who need the same treatment (sheltered 4th line with some PP time) in Spezza and Simmonds and you cant play them all together.

 

[wingman75]

The problem is we already have 2 other vets who need the same treatment (sheltered 4th line with some PP time) in Spezza and Simmonds and you cant play them all together.

I don't feel that is the case for Spezza at all. he is productive and not even a bit of a liability when on the ice.

Simmonds, right now, is not good, but he needs time to get his feet under him. Remember he missed 6 weeks.

Plus, more ice time for 1st and 2nd lines are fine by me, I think JT's line plays too little as it is.

 

[VanW27]

I don't feel that is the case for Spezza at all. he is productive and not even a bit of a liability when on the ice.

Simmonds, right now, is not good, but he needs time to get his feet under him. Remember he missed 6 weeks.

Plus, more ice time for 1st and 2nd lines are fine by me, I think JT's line plays too little as it is.

Spezza has been great, but it's because they are using him in the protected 4th line winger and pp guy role.

They've tried forcing Thornton and Simmonds into other roles that they cant handle because there's nowhere else to put them.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Spezza has been great, but it's because they are using him in the protected 4th line winger and pp guy role.

They've tried forcing Thornton and Simmonds into other roles that they cant handle because there's nowhere else to put them.

Spezza has been talking defensive zone faceoffs and jumping off right away too all season. He doesn’t win them all but plays solid defense when he gets caught out. Spezza has been awesome. Thornton needs to be replaced with a younger player with speed to forcheck and fit our needs and system better.
Not impressed with his play recently at all.

 

[zeke]

It's funny because the Thornton-Kerfoot-Spezza line is putting up fantastic numbers so far.

They've scored 65.5% of the goals they've been on the ice for, and racked up 58.2% of the expected goals.

 

[Its not your fault]

Yes whatever line he goes on now that line is shorthanded ... if we had CAP room and could carry 13 forwards it might work with Jumbo getting limited minutes on ozone faceoffs and PP ... but reality is we don't we are a CAP team and there is no room in reg season ... in playoffs different story as da interference, holding, etc won't get called so he will look a little better

Whats his cap hit?

 

[Leafsfan74]

He has a role and it could be a vital one among some of the off season additions in changing the identity and perspective of the team. Even Galchenyuk remarked today that he likes what the Leafs represent with a good mix of veteran and younger players. This veteran leadership and presence, as Dubas has referred to it; had been missing the last couple of years.

He isn't here to be another Matthews, he made his money in his prime when he was one of the premier players in the league, he isn't chasing stats, he is chasing a Cup. I have no problem with him playing 4th line minutes and/or some PP time.

 

[hockeywiz542]

TRAIK-EOTOMY: Does Joe Thornton still have a place in the Maple Leafs' lineup? | Toronto Sun

With William Nylander on the COVID protocol list, Thornton found himself skating on a line with John Tavares and Zach Hyman for Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary. But it was a strictly temporary move.

When Nylander returns, there won’t be a place for Thornton on the top two lines. And there won’t be a spot for Thornton on a third line with Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev once Foligno finishes his quarantine.

That leaves the fourth line. And even there, keeping Thornton around just for the sake of it may not be a luxury the Leafs can afford.

A few years ago, Patrick Marleau was playing in the top-six because the team didn’t have anyone better to take his spot. Now, there’s plenty of options. More than the Leafs have ever had.

While that’s a good thing, it also poses a problem.

Who on the fourth line would you play Thornton ahead of these days?

It’s not Wayne Simmonds, whose grit and size is exactly what you need from a bottom-six winger in the playoffs. It’s not Jason Spezza, who has as many even-strength goals (8) as Tavares, despite playing eight fewer minutes a night.

Thornton, who has been used primarily as a winger this year, is not bumping Pierre Engvall or Nash out of the centre spot. Maybe you’d rather have Thornton’s experience and his presence in front of the net over Robertson’s youthful speed. But even then, that puts him somewhere between 14th and 15th on the Leafs’ depth chart.

In other words, Thornton might not be good enough to warrant a roster spot in this improved lineup. The only question is whether head coach Sheldon Keefe, who has been loyal to his veterans all season long, agrees with that assessment.

 

[Stephen]

TRAIK-EOTOMY: Does Joe Thornton still have a place in the Maple Leafs' lineup? | Toronto Sun

With William Nylander on the COVID protocol list, Thornton found himself skating on a line with John Tavares and Zach Hyman for Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary. But it was a strictly temporary move.

When Nylander returns, there won’t be a place for Thornton on the top two lines. And there won’t be a spot for Thornton on a third line with Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev once Foligno finishes his quarantine.

That leaves the fourth line. And even there, keeping Thornton around just for the sake of it may not be a luxury the Leafs can afford.

A few years ago, Patrick Marleau was playing in the top-six because the team didn’t have anyone better to take his spot. Now, there’s plenty of options. More than the Leafs have ever had.

While that’s a good thing, it also poses a problem.

Who on the fourth line would you play Thornton ahead of these days?

It’s not Wayne Simmonds, whose grit and size is exactly what you need from a bottom-six winger in the playoffs. It’s not Jason Spezza, who has as many even-strength goals (8) as Tavares, despite playing eight fewer minutes a night.

Thornton, who has been used primarily as a winger this year, is not bumping Pierre Engvall or Nash out of the centre spot. Maybe you’d rather have Thornton’s experience and his presence in front of the net over Robertson’s youthful speed. But even then, that puts him somewhere between 14th and 15th on the Leafs’ depth chart.

In other words, Thornton might not be good enough to warrant a roster spot in this improved lineup. The only question is whether head coach Sheldon Keefe, who has been loyal to his veterans all season long, agrees with that assessment.

It's good to have too many bodies than not enough. It's not a given that Simmonds should play ahead of Thornton either, since he's been bad since his return from injury, so we'll just have to let them keep fighting in house for ice time. I do like having Nash and Foligno as "younger" legs though, because a 41 year old in the NHL is a unique situation and lately not in a good way.

 

[Coachcorner]

It's good to have too many bodies than not enough. It's not a given that Simmonds should play ahead of Thornton either, since he's been bad since his return from injury, so we'll just have to let them keep fighting in house for ice time. I do like having Nash and Foligno as "younger" legs though, because a 41 year old in the NHL is a unique situation and lately not in a good way.

That's a fine article by the sun. Also eh uh, its imporant and key to have talkers. The energy is what we totally changed this season. Joe has been one of the vocal gezuys with the simmonds so they together changed it for real. Forever too. We now pat quinn tucker domi sundin mogilny belfour drunk type mode again Gotta love it. I too hope that joe sits some reg.season games now. He will still be an impactful sucka when those real gezames begin. I expect joe to even fight there. Seen him rumble so many times..... he will be pushing mothers out the way, he wants it more than so many human beings right now. So yeah, its fun to follow. Joe should never, ever play on our first pp unit again. That, was a huge mistake on keefe's pezart.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Pretty cool article on Joe Thornton’s relationship with gord downie of the tragically hip on the Athletic by Joshua Kloke. If you’re a fan of both, it’s well worth the read

 

[nuck]

I liked him in the Jets game and if this club gets into any kind of a physical playoff series I imagine he will earn his meagre salary. If you double Galchenyuk's games played you get Joes stats except Galchenyuk would be a team worst -6 but I still like them both because the Leafs have the depth to survive an injury or two this year. A limited use guy who is great on faceoffs and can't be pushed around. You need lots of pieces and he was 8pts in 5 games in February so he can heat up a bit. It only stands out so much because he was a superstar. No Vesey, no Barabanov, no Petan and he lets them cherry pick where they want Engvall and his 1.16 pp60 play. He is earning his minimum wage and he still has a little bit of big game potential.

 

[DirkStraun]

I like what he has brought to the table the last few games. I truly believe he can be a game breaker on that fourth line in the playoffs. Congrats on 1100 assists Jumbo Joe

 

[eddieO]

Joe Thornton brings more to this team than Galchenyuk does.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Haven't seen this posted here but I've been lmao about it for 15 minutes.