Toronto Maple Leafs: Thoughts on Sandin, Dermott, and Matthews

Thought #2: Re-emergence of Jumbo Joe

For a long stretch of time following his return from a rib injury, Joe Thornton had very little impact on the game. Fans saw the Thornton-Matthews-Marner trio restored but the success the Leafs first line achieved in the early portion of the season was short-lived.

In Thornton’s first seven games back following a fracture that sidelined him for almost a month, the former San Jose Shark legend registered nine points, displacing any concerns the 41-year-old would need to shake off some rust after such a long layoff.

But in the coming weeks, the fall from grace was steep and sudden, leaving many to question whether Jumbo Joe still had what it takes to make it in today’s NHL.

Dropping all the way down to the fourth line, Thornton only recorded two assists over the next 22 games, posting a 50% expected goals rating. His spot in the Leafs playoff lineup became in doubt. He was having trouble finding other ways to contribute to this team in a meaningful way – until a week and a half ago.

Jumbo’s assist on April 22nd against the Jets marked his first point since March 13th. Then Saturday night’s affair marked his first goal since February 18th, in which the London, Ontario native developed a surprisingly entertaining feud with arguably Winnipeg’s most important forward, Nikolaj Ehlers, taking the Jets second-leading scorer off the ice for remaining few minutes of the third period as the team was trying to secure the win.

In those two games, Thornton finished with a 64% expected goals rating, finally figuring out other ways to contribute to this Toronto Maple Leafs team without piling up the points.

And with his recent play in mind…