Former Leaf wants to make an NHL comeback at 44

There's no argument that the 44-year-old has lost a lot of gas since he last scored at a point-pe r-game pace in 2015-16. At the age of 36, Thornton scored 82 points in 82 games for the San Jose Sharks and then proceeded to scored 198 points in his following 347 games across 6 seasons - not bad for his age-37 to age-42 seasons.

He last played in 2021-22 for the Florida Panthers where he chipped in with 5 goals and 10 points in 34 games, averaged 11:06 TOI but only managed to appear in one playoff game. It seems highly unlikely that many teams are knocking on the door, however Thornton is keeping in shape just in case.

Elliotte Friedman chatted about the possibility after he had a conversation with a current member of the San Jose Sharks, Mario Ferraro:

"Ferraro saw old friend and future Hall-of-Famer Joe Thornton a few times during the summer. ''He's on the ice all the time. He's never officially retired.'' Ferraro was very careful about the next bit, because he wouldn't ever claim to speak for his friend, but I asked if he thought Thornton would officially retire. ''No, I don't" he answered. ''I don't think he will. I think he's just going to hang around. I think he could still play, though. He buzzes.'' Do you think he wants to? I can't speak for Jumbo, but I do. Deep down, I feel like he does." Someone get this man a contract." Friedman said.

So while he hasn't officially retired from the NHL, Thornton is technically a free agent. However, due to his advanced age, lack of NHL games since 2019-20 (78 games) and how the modern game has changed, it's going to take a very desperate team to give him a call. Centre-depth, veteran leadership, and playoff experience are hot commodities around the NHL, especially near the trade deadline, so if a team has been struck with a few injuries and are looking for a cheap alternative, Thornton is ready to lace them back up.

I'm fairly confident that he can still give you 10 minutes a night, close to 50% on the face-off dot, and his presence alone could energize and motivate younger players. It's a long shot, but you never know when it comes to the NHL.

Source: Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts