Florida Panthers’ Joe Thornton (19) skates in opposition to the Carolina Hurricanes throughout the first interval of an NHL hockey recreation in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. (AP Photograph/Karl B DeBlaker)
Residing in South Florida appears to agree with Joe Thornton.
“He seems phenomenal. It seems like he’s acquired some solar. An incredible base tan proper now,” mentioned Sharks captain Logan Couture, who was amongst a couple of Sharks gamers who caught up with Thornton on Friday at FLA Reside Enviornment. “He seems good. He was himself, only a pleasure to be round. I really like him.”
Assuming Thornton will not be scratched, Saturday’s recreation between the Sharks and Florida Panthers will mark the primary time he has performed San Jose since he left the group as a free agent after the 2019-2020 season.
Seeing that the Sharks had been taking a step again as a corporation, or a ‘reset,’ because it was termed by basic supervisor Doug Wilson, Thornton needed to stay with a Stanley Cup contender and signed a one-year deal in October 2020 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who would go on to bow out within the first spherical of final season’s playoffs.
Now he’s with a Panthers group that may signify the very best likelihood he’s had of profitable a Cup in his 24-year NHL profession.
Florida entered Friday in first place within the NHL’s total standings with a 30-9-5 file, and have misplaced at house solely thrice to date this season. The Panthers are the highest-scoring group within the NHL at even energy, have a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman in Aaron Ekblad and a premier goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky.
“This group doesn’t actually have any weaknesses for my part,” mentioned NHL Community analyst Mike Rupp, who performed 610 video games over an 11-year profession from 2003 to 2014.
“They form of test the field on every little thing I'd think about a contender to want to have. Yeah, that is about pretty much as good because it will get, I believe, so far as having a possibility to win.”
Thornton, 42, spent 15 years with the Sharks, impacting the franchise like no different participant within the group’s historical past with playoff appearances in 13 of 14 years from 2006 to 2019. Earlier than he was acquired by Wilson in an organization-altering deal in Nov. 2005, Thornton was evolving right into a famous person with the Boston Bruins, main that group to division titles in 2001 and 2003.
However the Bruins with Thornton solely made it previous the primary spherical one time in seven years. The Sharks had the very best regular-season file of any NHL group over Thornton’s 15-year tenure, reached the Western Convention finals 4 instances with him, and the Cup closing as soon as in 2016. However San Jose may by no means totally get the job achieved. 
Now Thornton has one other prime alternative to lastly hoist the Cup.
“It’s actually onerous to say if that is his greatest likelihood as a result of I performed in opposition to these Sharks groups, and people groups had been actually legit,” Rupp mentioned. “These groups had as nice an opportunity to win, I’d say, simply as a lot as the prospect that Florida has this 12 months.
“Clearly at this stage of his profession, you need to place your self and that’s what he did, is get on one other group that may go on a deep run.”
The Panthers nonetheless have the identical core that they had from 2017 to 2019 when Bob Boughner coached the group, as Ekblad and forwards Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau stay elite gamers.
However simply within the final two-plus years, Florida signed Bobrovsky to an enormous contract, acquired top-six forwards Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett in shrewd trades, signed Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe in strikes which have paid off massive, and bolstered the protection corps with the additions of Radko Gudas and Brandon Montour.
Boughner was fired by the Panthers in 2019 after he couldn’t get the group to playoffs in two seasons behind their bench. The Panthers he’ll face Saturday are barely recognizable to him now.
“The best way I take a look at their group, there’s not lots of weaknesses,” Boughner mentioned. “They’ve acquired depth scoring. They’re quick. They’ve acquired an amazing energy play.
“Like each group in that place they’re in proper now, they’ll in all probability tweak or do one thing on the (commerce) deadline to enhance their group. However I actually like what they’ve achieved within the final couple of years. It’s a a lot completely different group than I used to be after I was right here.”
The Panthers are coming off a 4-1 win over Vegas on Thursday. Nobody ahead performed lower than 11:43 or greater than 17:06.
“Their file speaks for itself there,” Couture mentioned. “They’re as balanced as they arrive on this league. 4 traces. I checked out their recreation sheet after that recreation in opposition to Vegas. Each line performed a minimum of 11-12 minutes, so meaning you’re balanced.” 
“This entire highway journey we’re taking part in in opposition to lots of the massive canines of the east and we’re going to need to play an amazing group recreation each recreation to provide ourselves a superb likelihood, and Florida’s no completely different,” Sharks defenseman Brent Burns mentioned. “They simply appear to come back at you in waves, and particularly at house right here. They’re an amazing group.”
Then there’s Thornton, who performed his 1,700th profession NHL recreation on Jan. 6 in opposition to Joe Pavelski and the Dallas Stars. However with a deeper group, Thornton is in a decreased position, having performed simply 22 out of 44 video games. He’s averaging slightly below 11 minutes of ice time per recreation, down from 13:43 final season in Toronto and 15:30 the 12 months earlier than in San Jose.
Thornton, with six factors, doubtless knew he’d need to play a smaller position when he signed with the Panthers in August. However profitable a championship was all that mattered.
“I see their group on paper, I watched their group final 12 months, I really like their group, and that’s it,” Thornton mentioned on the time. “I really like what they’re constructing, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
“However every little thing is about finally profitable the Stanley Cup, and the Panthers are proper there for my part.”
To date, Thornton seems like he’s adjusting simply nice.
“I don’t know of anywhere that wouldn’t agree with Jumbo,” Burns mentioned. “He’s simply acquired an amazing vitality about every little thing. Only a nice man off the ice, on the ice. He’s taught lots of people lots of issues right here. Simply places a smile in your face.”