The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team being built for sustained success.
Watching the Toronto Maple Leafs go from nothing to something in just one season was special for so many of us.
For those that have suffered through the years, the new fans and even ones like me who were just born on the edge of the decline, it’s great to see our beloved team find success.
However, the tides have turned and the Leafs are a powerhouse team, one of the most exciting in the NHL without a doubt.
Now, since the departure of Dion Phaneuf midway through the 2015-16 season, the Leafs have remained captainless and have instead rolled with four alternate captains.
Not assistant captains, but alternates.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this method for the time being and I’m still of the thought process that doing this for another season is okay, but they’ll need to add another alternate because of the departure of Matt Hunwick.
Still, it doesn’t take a letter to be a leader, simply put, anyone can be a leader.
The Leafs have a lot of leaders in the room and on the ice, but the decision to choose the fourth alternate for this season (if not a captain), shouldn’t be an easy one.
Let’s look at the candidates, which are aplenty, so I’ve divided them into two categories.
The first being, in my opinion, the obvious bunch and the second are 100% applicable options, but I’ll explain why they’re in their own group below.
The Brady Bunch
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This group consists of the following.
- Patrick Marleau
- Nazem Kadri
- Matt Martin
- Auston Matthews
- Mitchell Marner
First and foremost, Marleau’s name pops up because of his previous leadership history and just the kind of player he’s been throughout his career, not to mention that Mike Babcock loves him.
An argument could be made for when he was stript of his captainship with the San Jose Sharks, but without conclusive evidence of what the whole story is, it’s not much of an argument.
When I look at Marleau on the ice, I see a leader, when I hear/see him being interviewed, I hear and see a leader, nothing to it.
Kadri gets overlooked in this discussion and I think it’s about time he’s seen in the good spotlight.
He’s becoming a leader under Babcock’s tough love system and to not throw his name in the ring for the fourth alternate would be absurd.
Continued
Did Andrew just put Martin’s name in there?
You bet I did.
The team’s big brother, how can you not think for one second that Martin doesn’t demonstrate the ideals of a leader?
Maybe it’s a different kind of leadership, but I still think his name will be considered for the letter and if it’s not, he’ll continue to be a leader without one.
Every team needs a roster of 23 leaders.
As for the last two, Matthews is poised to be the next captain, so making him alternate might help transition things more smoothly and Marner just exemplifies leadership qualities everywhere he goes.
Oozing with them perhaps.
The Other Guys
Two players, Dominic Moore and Ron Hainsey.
They should definitely be considered, but are not the best options due to their projected longevity with the club.
I think both guys can serve better in leadership roles without a letter, but it would be wrong to not include them in this list.
Now, what do you all think?
Comment below and as always, I’ll be here to interact.