Panthers' Shawn Thornton: Set to retire

Thornton announced Thursday that he intends to retire at the end of this season, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.

Thornton will skip the Panthers' last contest, so he'll play his final NHL game in the team's penultimate tilt Saturday against the Sabres. If the plan holds, he'll finish with 705 career NHL games. While he's only contributed four points over 48 contests and has topped 20 points just once over the course of his long career, the big man thrived in his role as an enforcer. His biggest output came in 2011-12, when he racked up 154 penalty minutes and 91 hits. The 39-year-old will reportedly transition to a front-office role with the Panthers.