Maple Leafs’ Joe Thornton’s Still in Toronto: Now, Isn’t That Odd?

Why is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Joe Thornton still in Toronto? As the photo the UFC released yesterday suggests, two Maple Leafs’ players – Joe Thornton and Auston Matthews – attended the UFC match. Knowing that Thornton’s offseason home is in Davos, Switzerland, and has been for many years, does his showing up at an event with Matthews (of all people) say anything about Thornton’s plans for the future? Or about any Maple Leafs’ potential interest?

Related: Interesting Facts in Toronto Maple Leafs’ Scoring (Goals & Assists) History

Could be Something! Then Again, Maybe It’s Nothing

Seeing photos like these of Thornton and Matthews attending sporting events together suggests two obvious things. First, as I suggested earlier, it suggests that Thornton remains in Canada. Second, it suggests that Matthews and Thornton are buddies. During the past, the sports-event-partner of Matthews has been goalie Frederik Andersen, who even spent several months with Matthews at his home in Arizona when COVID-19 had suspended the 2019-20 season.

A couple @MapleLeafs in the building! @AM34 and Joe Thornton taking in the action at #UFC264 🍁 pic.twitter.com/NpOIewvMcN

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) July 11, 2021

The rumors about bringing Thornton back to the team have been silent to the point that most hockey pundits and Maple Leafs’ fans simply expected Thornton would drift away from the team after his single season with the club. But perhaps, that isn’t going to happen.

Could it be that Thornton’s going to sign on for another season? And, if that’s what it means, can his signing be be a benefit to the team?

Can Thornton Become the Maple Leafs’ Rich Clune?

For those Maple Leafs’ fans who don’t know who Rich Clune is, he was the AHL’s Toronto Marlies captain who’s played six seasons with the team. Two days ago, the Marlies re-signed Clune to another one-year contract with the team. The 34-year-old Clune doesn’t play every game these days, but he’s the captain of the Marlies because he’s had such a strong presence on the younger members of the team. Many of these Marlies move to the Maple Leafs and the stories about the mentoring impact Clune’s had on these young players is almost the stuff of legend.

Toronto Marlies re-sign captain Rich Clunehttps://t.co/xKjhaehcFC#tmltalk #leafsnation #leafsforever #marlies

— Maple Leafs Fan (@tmlfanfury) July 11, 2021

Clune only had three goals and an assist (four points) in 33 Marlies’ games and similar scoresheet totals in 2019-20, when he only played 16 games. However, he remains a veteran presence (who has played 139 NHL games in his career) for the Marlies. He hasn’t had an NHL shift in more than five seasons now, but he’s still value-added to the organization because of his impact in player development. I’m betting Clune has a job within the organization when he hangs up his skates.

Related: Why Did the Maple Leafs Give Travis Dermott Such a Big Raise? Seattle?

Might Thornton Be Brought Back as a Character and Leadership?

I can’t think the the organization believed last season’s Thornton experiment was a complete success. It wasn’t. In fact, from what I read and surmise in hockey discussions, I have to think the general mood is to NOT bring Jumbo back to the roster. Still, similar to Jason Spezza who stays around playing because he hasn’t yet won the Stanley Cup, Thornton has said that he too wants to win the Cup before he retires.

If Thornton wasn’t quite ready to retire and would be willing to play in any role the team wanted – whether it would be only on the fourth line or as a healthy scratch? And, would the Maple Leafs be willing to take him back for that role? There’s no doubt that he adds great positive energy and leadership to the locker room.

I Believe the Team Would Be Lucky to Have Jumbo Back

I’ve often said in posts that, even if Thornton never scored another goal for the team, the team is lucky to have him on the roster simply for his calm demeanor and his leadership. Nothing I’ve seen suggests that he didn’t have a positive impact on the Maple Leafs’ regular-season success.

From my perspective, he’s a great addition to the team. I would be nothing but happy should the organization resign him at the NHL league minimum salary.