from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

Wearing a hoodie and with a perma-smile peaking out behind an unkempt greying beard, Thornton doesn’t look like a guy who has been beaten down by the game. Instead, he looks like someone who has happily spent the past decade living a hedonistic life out of his van on the beach with Brent Burns.

And he’s bringing that surfer-like mentality to Toronto.

Clearly, head coach Sheldon Keefe believes Thornton’s “no stress” approach can benefit a Toronto team that is under the gun. Not necessarily on the ice, where a cynic might suggest Thornton lacks the legs and endurance to keep up with Matthews and Marner. But off the ice, where he should be able to calm down Matthews after a loss and be a reminder to Marner that he is playing a game — a game that is supposed to be fun.

“I think (it can be) incredibly contagious,” Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Thornton’s “positivity”, “energy” and “confidence.”

Those are all great things. But at the same time, this isn’t exactly a team that is lacking in the confidence department. The Leafs know how good they can be. What they don’t know is how to get there.

In that way, the team doesn’t need a Surfer Joe. They need a Sargent Joe.

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