Marner said he learned what Thornton could bring to Toronto from forward Patrick Marleau, who played two seasons with the Maple Leafs (2017-19) after 12 seasons with Thornton on the San Jose Sharks. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
"Throughout Patty's time here he's talked to me and Auston [Matthews] a good amount about Jumbo (Thornton), just says ... [he] keeps everything light, has a great time, but on the ice, he's a competitive guy," Marner said. "He plays hard and he wants to win.
"I'm excited. I mean, everything I've heard about him, he just seems like an unbelievable dude, and Patty's always relayed that back to us. I'm excited to get talking to him, and as soon as he signed, I sent him a big text saying, 'Super excited to have him,' and I think he's going to do a lot."
Simmonds, who grew up in the Toronto area, is a six-time 20-goal scorer and has played 909 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. His team has advanced in the playoffs once in seven postseasons (Flyers, 2011-12).
"I think he's hungry, he wants to prove to everyone that he's still the player that he is," Marner said. "I've been seeing him on the ice recently, and he's been looking like a beast out there.
"I've been watching him on the half-wall, down low, when he's got that puck and it's hard to get it off him. He's a big man (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) and he can control that puck and around the net -- he doesn't miss the net very often -- it's pretty impressive to watch."
The NHL and NHL Players' Association approved an agreement Sunday to play a 56-game regular season starting Jan. 13, 2021. The season has been delayed due to continuing concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
