Few players remain in the NHL with more history than Joe Thornton. Drafted first overall by the Boston Bruins in 1997, Thornton, also known by his nickname, “Jumbo Joe,” has been a dominant forward for decades. He spent his prime years split between the Bruins and the San Jose Sharks, who managed to nab him in a trade on November 30th, 2005. Despite being one of the longest active players, Thornton has never won a Stanley Cup. Rather than hang up the skates, he decided to sign a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers for the 2021-22 season. With Thornton’s 24th season about to get underway, the question has to be raised. “Will Joe Thornton ever win the Stanley Cup?”
A Jumbo-Sized Problem
The average age for retirement in the NHL is around 30-years-old. Most individuals who retire in that range are serviceable players who never found their stride in the NHL or star players who cut their careers short due to injury. Many star players who are fortunate enough to remain healthy for their entire careers usually retire in their mid to late 30s. However, there are only a handful of NHL players who have managed to break the 40-years-old barrier. As of 2019, Thornton is one of them.
Hockey is a very physically-taxing sport. Even the most capable bodies of NHL players will begin to fall apart with even the most slight training technique imperfection by the time they begin to reach their 30s. Despite this, Jumbo always managed to keep up with the game as he’s gotten older, even as his speed dramatically declined. In the 2018-19 season, Thornton scored 51 points in 73 games with the San Jose Sharks. Entering the 2019-20 season as a 40-year-old, he scored 31 points in 70 games with the Sharks. His production had taken a bit of a hit, but the team he played around had a bad year as well. Last season, Thornton took his talents to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he put up 20 points in 44 games. He managed to have a better points production statistic with the Maple Leafs, but the issue is still evident. Joe Thornton’s ability to put up points is steadily beginning to decline.
Realistically, Thornton is nearing his final years as a professional hockey player in the NHL. As each year goes by, his ability to play declines more and more. If he wants to win a Stanley Cup, his best bet is to join a team that looks poised to go on a deep cup run already. Unfortunately, going back to the Sharks appears to be out of the question, and Toronto continues to struggle with their first-round demons. The Boston Bruins would have made for a nice homecoming story had they been willing to take a chance on Thornton, but rather than opt for a return to his draft team, he decided to try out a new location. On August 13th, 2021, Jumbo Joe signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers.
Primed to pounce
Had the hockey world been told that the Florida Panthers would look like legitimate Stanley Cup contenders only a few short years ago, there most likely would have been a good chuckle shared between pretty much all NHL fanbases. The Panthers have been nowhere near competitive for a long time. Before the 2020 bubble playoffs, the team had made the playoffs only twice since the 2000-01 season. Only one of those two playoff appearances saw them make it past the first round as well. Once Joel Quenneville was hired as the head coach, the Panthers began to turn their misfortune around. Even though they exited in the qualifying round, making the 2020 playoffs was a massive step in the correct direction. The 2020-21 year introduced divisional realignment that allowed the Panthers to break through and officially make the playoffs. Despite a first-round exit to the Tampa Bay Lightning, things were beginning to go their way.
For the first time in a long time, Panthers fans have hope. This offseason, the team underwent a massive roster change that saw Sam Reinhart enter Florida for a first-round pick and goaltending prospect Devon Levi. Considering Spencer Knight looks like he will be the undisputed goaltender of the future, losing Levi was not a massive concern for the Panthers. Reinhart came off a year with the Buffalo Sabres, where he was one of, if not the only, consistent point-producing players. Given that the Sabres were looking for a fresh start anyways, he made an excellent piece to shop. As a Panther, he will be looked to as a point-producing leader on a team with young talent beginning to flood the roster.
Now that the Panthers are beginning to look like more and more of a severe threat to the Atlantic division, the odds that they manage to pull off a cup win are increasing rapidly. It is rare for a team to get their act together and win a cup in a short amount of time, but it is not unheard of. Assuming last year was not a fluke, and the pieces fall into place, the Stanley Cup might be entering Florida for the third consecutive year but with a different team. With that being said, the question still remains. Is Joe Thornton going to win his first Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers this season?
Forbidden Love
With the moves made by the Panthers this offseason, alongside prospect growth, they are looking like serious contenders this year. With Jumbo Joe as a depth forward who still has partial offensive upside, he certainly will be counted on to contribute towards the team’s overall success this year. The team still has a few holes that need some patching, especially defensively, but it is far from impossible. Last year saw the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs in a year where it was far from expected. All the Panthers need is a good opportunity to strike.
As for Thornton, his time in the NHL is absolutely nearing its end. He has been an elite presence in the league for two decades, but all good things must come to an end eventually. This could be one of his final chances to win the Stanley Cup. Most likely, the Panthers will make the playoffs. However, in the rare chance they do not, there is no doubt he will be dealt to a cup contender. It has been a long 24 years; it is finally time for Jumbo Joe Thornton to win his very first Stanley Cup.