Toronto Maple Leafs' Joe Thornton to miss at least 4 weeks

Joe Thornton will miss at least four weeks with a rib fracture according to Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe.

"His presence will certainly be felt in that way, for sure," Keefe told reporters Friday. "But definitely, you'll lose a little bit of something in practices and games and all that. Obviously his presence and his voice is a big reason why we brought him here. We will still get some of those benefits with the life and the energy and the smile that he brings to the rink every day.”

Thornton left the game on Jan. 20 against Edmonton when he was hit by Josh Archibald along the boards. He skated back to the bench hunched over and in pain.

here's the hit that has sent joe thornton to the locker room pic.twitter.com/xFJyEd2471

— zach laing (@zjlaing) January 21, 2021

Wednesday night’s contest was his 1,641st which is eighth all-time. The 41-year-old signed a one-year deal with Toronto after 15 seasons in San Jose.

He has one goal and an assist in four games this season.