Options land on Joe Thornton’s table

Joe Thornton is still unsigned and fans started to freak out that his NHL career may be over when his wife Tabea posted on Instagram the confirmation that he won’t be returning to the Florida Panthers.

”South Florida, I loved our time together! This break-up hurts and I will miss you,” Tabea wrote on Instagram earlier this week.

While some fans may assume that means Jumbo Joe will hang up the skates, NHL Trade Talk reminds them how some options remain on his table.

“Thornton hasn’t commented on his NHL future, nor has he posted an official goodbye, but it is assumed he’ll take some more time to figure out what’s next. Speculation will be that he’ll have three choices: retire, head overseas and play in Switzerland, or take a PTO with an NHL team.”

It may not be over. Some wonder if an NHL club could sign Thornton to a minimum league contract in order to get his experience and leadership in the dressing room. After all, a team cannot only count on his production, which has decreased in past seasons. He put up just five goals and 10 points in 34 games with the Panthers last season. He also had a pretty lacklustre campaign with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020-21 after 15 seasons with the San Jose Sharks.

However, it is a low risk move for any NHL team to offer him a professional tryout deal. Though he may not be able to crack the roster: at 43 years old he may not have the wheels to keep up at NHL pace.

The other option, heading to Switzerland, where his family lives in the offseason, would certainly allow him to close out his hockey career on his own terms.

But let’s be patient here. Thornton has kept his options open until the last possible moment in the past. It may be some time before he makes an official statement on this rumoured pending retirement…