"I see their team on paper, I watched their team last year, I love their team and that's it," Thornton said. "I love what they're building and excited to be part of it. But everything is about ultimately winning the Stanley Cup and the Panthers are right there, in my opinion."
The 42-year-old forward, who will play his 24th NHL season, scored 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 44 regular-season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and one goal in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Well, I watched the playoffs last year, Florida-Tampa [Bay Lightning], and it was a great series and I love their team and it left a big impression on me," Thornton said. "I talked to (Panthers general manager) Bill [Zito], I talked to 'Lou' (special adviser Roberto Luongo), I talked to (coach) Joel Quenneville, and they were just so excited about their team, what they're building down there, and just thought I'd be a great fit with this group. My family was behind me, I have two young kids who are on board in meeting the players and they're excited. But talking with Bill, Lou and Joel, it was an easy decision after that."
Selected by the Boston Bruins with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NHL Draft, Thornton is 14th on the NHL scoring list with 1,529 points (425 goals, 1,104 assists), seventh in assists and sixth in games played (1,680). He has played 23 seasons with the Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Bruins.
Thornton has scored 134 points (32 goals, 102 assists) in 186 playoff games.
"With more than 1,600 games played in the NHL, Joe will bring a wealth of experience to our locker room and lineup," Zito said. "His drive to succeed is unmistakable and we are thrilled that he chose to sign with our club and that he believes in what we are building here in South Florida."
Thornton has been skating with HC Davos in Switzerland to prepare for this season.
"I've been training over there for a while now," he said. "We've been going two-a-days and [the] body feels good, the mind feels good. I knew pretty much shortly after the season, I started training right away and I felt good. So yeah, here we go again."
Thornton won the Hart Trophy voted as the most valuable player in the NHL and the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top scorer in 2005-06, when he scored 125 points (29 goals, 96 assists) in 81 games with the Bruins and Sharks.
The Panthers also acquired forward Sam Reinhart in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on July 24. The 25-year-old signed a three-year contract on Wednesday after leading the Sabres in goals (25) and points (40) in 54 games last season.
