It’s time to do that thing that it seems we do each and every NHL offseason: discuss the prospects of Joe Thornton signing on with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The latest to bring the discussion to the fore is The Athletic’s James Mirtle, who wrote in depth about the “mutual interest” between Thornton and the Maple Leafs, mentioning that talks between the two camps have reached the “beginning stages.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the Maple Leafs and Thornton have kicked around the idea of the legendary forward signing on with his hometown team — or at least the one considered adjacent to where he grew up.