The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had any player wearing the ‘C’ since the departing of Dion Phaneuf.
For a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, with many talented players, it isn’t any surprise that there could be some possible candidates for the captaincy.
With a young roster like the Leafs, it’s good that they haven’t rushed into anything like naming a captain that isn’t ready or lacks any leadership qualities.
Let’s take a look at the top five best options for a future Toronto Maple Leafs captain.
1. Auston Matthews
This one wasn’t hard to figure out. Auston Matthews has been the superstar that Leafs fans have been waiting for since captain Mats Sundin. A player that can lead by example on and off the ice. Matthews may have only been in the NHL for two seasons, but he’s made the most out of them. With 132 points in 144 games, he isn’t far from being a point-per-game player in his young career. Matthews was drafted first overall, winning the Calder, he’s got a nice couple accolades so far. Being named captain, could just be the next one on that list.
2. Morgan Rielly
Naming Morgan Rielly as Leafs captain would be a great choice for many reasons. He is the team’s best defenseman and sometimes best player out on the ice. Playing an average of almost 22 minutes per game, he is heavily relied on to perform. At 24 years old, he is young enough to grow and improve with the young roster, but also old enough to lead this team from his NHL experience. Rielly has enough skill and grit to captain this young team, which was proven in the playoffs. Being a Maple Leaf his whole five year career, he is ready to be captain if the organization chooses to do so.
3. Mitch Marner
Naming a flashy kid like Mitch Marner your captain, wouldn’t be the best option, but it definitely wouldn’t be the worst. Marner is the type of player you love to have on your team. He can score, he’s got speed and he’s a pass first kind of guy. The hometown kid would love to lead his childhood team with a ‘C’ on his chest, Marner can lead by example, with it being no secret he can score and pass the puck really well. With his smaller size, he’s got to try even harder than most players. Marner this past playoffs was above a point-per-game with 9 points in 7 games, something you might not expect from the young forward. Many would say he is like a Patrick Kane, can lead the team, but no captain. To that I say you may be right, but you never know. Mitch Marner isn’t ready to be named captain yet, but in the future, he could shape to be a great leader.
4. Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman is an old-fashioned choice on who to make your captain. A really tough player that can get into the dirty areas, score and a good guy in the locker-room. Sort of like a Dustin Brown kind of captain, but is 40 points what you’d expect from your captain? Hyman is a Toronto native and like some other players on this team, playing for your hometown is something that players dream of. In my eyes, Hyman is a great supporting player that is key to winning a Stanley Cup, but not the captain the Leafs are looking for. Leading this team to a Stanley Cup is a dream that can soon become a reality and with Zach Hyman as the captain, I don’t see why it would slow them down.
5. Nazem Kadri
Getting under the skin of opposing players isn’t the only thing Nazem Kadri is good at. He can rack up points, hit and being a good locker-room presence isn’t bad either. Nazem Kadri is going to be in the running for captain as long as he keeps doing what he does best. He can lead these rookies with his grit, skill and decent amount of NHL experience.
There are many players that the Leafs could choose to be their next captain. It may not be anytime soon, but when it happens it’ll be the right choice. The organization is doing things the right way and this is no different.
Next: Matthews vs Other Star Players
Whatever the they decide, it’ll be what the team needs.
stats from hockey-reference.com