George Richards, FHN Publisher
When Joe Thornton finally signed his one-year contract with the Panthers on Friday, he said one reason he was joining the Panthers was because he thought he would “be a great fit with this group.”
The future Hall of Famer said that the conversations he had with general manager Bill Zito as well as Joel Quenneville and Roberto Luongo led him to believe the Panthers are ready to make the next step.
Watching the Panthers in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning also got him thinking.
“I see the team on paper, I watched the team last year,’’ Thornton said. “I love the team and that’s it. I love what they’re building and I’m excited to be part of it. Everything is ultimately about winning the Stanley Cup and the Panthers are right there. … It was a great series, and I love their team. It left a big impression me.’’
Thornton, 42, knows he has a really small window remaining in trying to win the Stanley Cup.
Zito said on Monday that Thornton deciding to come and continue his quest for the Stanley Cup with the Panthers is a testament to the players Florida already has.
“It is flattering but it certainly says a lot about that room and the guys on this team,” Zito told FHN. “He did a lot of work. I talked to Joe, his brother John is his agent, and I know he had really good conversations with Q who coached him at World Championships and Lu who he played with on those national teams. It speaks to our team that he wants to join that group and it is a nice feeling.”
Florida is, indeed, a Cup contender.
Having a respected player such as Joe Thornton say he believes that can go a long way for a Florida team seemingly poised to take the next step in its development.
“I think it reinforces the message that we have been trying to set forth since we got here and that is: Every day, we’re trying to get better,” Zito said. “Every day we’re trying to do something indivudually and collectively to get closer to winning a Cup. His addition reflects that and I hope he feels the same way.
“I think it sends the message to the guys that you have someone who loves the game, doesn’t take anything for granted and brings it every single day. That’s what our group does. Every day we’re trying to something to get closer to it.”
The Panthers are loaded at forward, strong defensively and solid in net with Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight expected to Florida’s goalie combo.
As far as where Thornton fits in, well, certainly he brings plenty of value into the locker room.
Last September, Zito acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist in a trade for defenseman Mike Matheson and Hornqvist’s value to the team was evident from the start.
Not only did he start help change the beaten-down culture around the Panthers, but he contributed on the ice as well.
Zito said while Thornton and Hornqvist have different personalities, there is little doubt Thornton could rub off on the Florida players in the same positive sense.
“He brings leadership, experience and guidance,” Zito said. “His personality is a little bit different from Hornqvist and having Luongo around was really helpful because he said Thornton’s experience and leadership will mesh well with Hornqvist. They won’t conflict. We think they’re going to work well together.
”On and off the ice, he is going to help us. Just come, be Joe and play some hockey. Have fun and play hockey. Be one of our guys.”
When it comes to where Thornton fits in on the ice, like Hornqvist, he gives Quenneville options.
In our way-too-early lineup breakdown which published Sunday, we penciled Thornton in as Florida’s third line center. And he may start there, sure. But he certainly will not spend an entire season playing there.
Thornton, Zito figures, will be all over the place depending on the situation.
“The beauty of it is he can almost literally play any forward position on the ice,” Zito said. “Do I think he’s going to be our No. 1 center for the whole year? No. But in a game, could he play first-line center for a few shifts? Yeah. Could he play fourth-line left wing? Yeah. He has the skill set and the hockey ability to play anywhere and that allows both him and the coaches to work together to find places to utilize him to best help the team.”
As for Thornton, Florida offered him a contract early on in the free agency period and he signed the deal on Friday.
When asked why he would come chase the Cup with a team that has not won a playoff series since 1996, Thornton said he is not worried about the past.
It is the future of the Panthers that gets him excited.
“They’re close, they really are,’’ Thornton said. “It doesn’t matter what happened in years past, this is a new team.”