Toronto Maple Leafs Should Re-Sign Joe Thornton…To Coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs have an assistant coaching position available, so why not re-sign Joe Thornton to fill the void?

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Joe Thornton last year, it was win-win for both parties. Toronto wanted to add experience and leadership in the dressing room, while Jumbo wanted to come play near his hometown and try to win a Stanley Cup.

In my opinion, the experiment failed.

The 41-year-old may have scored more playoff goals than Mitch Marner last postseason, but he provided virtually zero offensively. He was slow and definitely looked his age. You’d think that someone with that much experience would have been able to help guide the Leafs to a series win, especially after going up 3-1 in the series, but that never transpired.

As we sit right now, we’re unsure at whether or not Thornton will retire. His game has been deteriorating over the past few seasons, but since he’s yet to win a championship, he’s continue to chase it year-after-year.

At $700K, Thornton could still be a valuable piece for one more year, but at the same time, wouldn’t you rather have a younger guy play instead? For example, someone like Adam Brooks could provide a lot more energy and production than Thornton for virtually the same price.

There is one way for Thornton to come back though that makes sense for both parties…

Toronto Maple Leafs Should Re-Sign Thornton to Coach

When Toronto originally brought Thornton in, he was looked at as a leader. Someone who’s been through everything and can provide a ton to the youngsters in the room, like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

Now that his game has flattened, Thornton could be great inspiration on the bench. I know he doesn’t have the coaching experience as some other coaches rumored for the position do, but there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t step in and be a great assistant coach.

Everybody says that Thornton loves hockey and can’t stay away from the rink, so instead of being put in the lineup, he could make an impact on the bench. He’s one year older than Sheldon Keefe so his age shouldn’t be a problem and he’ll be able to get the most out of the players because they respect him so much.

Manny Malhotra currently runs the Leafs powerplay (PP), but if they brought in Thornton to coach, they’d more than likely have to flip positions. Malhotra played a ton of minutes on the penalty kill (PK) as a player and was mostly known for his ability to win face-off’s, so he’d still be effective as an assistant coach running the PK instead.

Thornton on the other hand, is an offensive specialist, and could probably help turn the Leafs PP around if he was in charge of it daily. He still has enough skill that he could show the players exactly what they want on the ice during practice and also has a loud enough voice to have a huge presence on the bench.

Alexandre Burrows, who’s one year younger than Thornton, stepped into coaching immediately after playing and seems to be doing a great job. He started with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League, but made the jump to the Montreal Canadiens only two years later.

As a future Hockey Hall of Famer and former MVP of the NHL, I don’t think anyone would be upset if Thornton jumped into an assistant coaching position, despite having zero experience. Also, if Burrows can do it, Jumbo definitely can as well.

If Thornton wants to continue to stay in hockey and finally win a Stanley Cup, his best opportunity could be behind the bench with Toronto, instead of on the ice with them.