The 5 Worst Toronto Maple Leafs Free Agent Signings in the Auston Matthews Era

Joe Thornton

The Leafs surely didn’t learn from their mistake with Marleau when they decided to bring more veteran leadership in grey-bearded superstar Joe Thornton through free agency prior to the start of the 2020-21 NHL season.

Had Toronto signed him at least 10 years prior in his prime, no doubt he could have been a huge difference maker. But at aged 41 entering the season at the time, many probably knew it wasn’t going to happen with Father Time out in full force.

Surprisingly, Thornton did appear to hold his own in the early parts of the season when he tallied 3 goals and 8 assists in his first 12 games while playing together with the likes of Matthews and Marner.

However, things practically went downhill from there in terms of production as he would only register another 9 points for the rest of the year, including going pointless during a rough 17-game stretch in the middle part of the season.

Thornton’s foot speed obviously was no longer there, making it difficult for him to catch up with the high-flying young Leafs core.

As a result, he was eventually moved further down in the lineup to the bottom-six as the season progressed and ultimately provided little to no Impact when the playoff season came around.

Looking back, getting Thornton seemed like a great idea, that is, had it been perhaps a decade earlier. Instead, the Leafs wasted a potential valuable spot in the lineup that could have helped the team..