Toronto Maple Leafs: What Do You Think? – The Captaincy
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of only five teams in the NHL currently without a captain.
Lately, speculation in Leaf Land has shifted away from potential additions to the front office and instead centred on who will be the next Leaf to don the “C”.
There are certainly a number of intriguing candidates to choose from.
That said, welcome back to another instalment of “What Do You Think?”. As always, I’ll briefly put forth my take on a matter of developing news, and then turn it over to you. In the comments below, give your opinion and it may just be featured in the follow-up piece later this week.
My Take
To me, the heir apparent group includes Auston Matthews, Morgan Rielly, Patrick Marleau, Nazem Kadri, and Ron Hainsey. Some of those names are more deserving than others. But, I could at the very least picture any of them adequately in the role.
Let’s start with those who possess no chance at the captaincy.
No Chance
In Marleau’s case, he may not even still be a Leaf in 12 months time.
At age 38, his contract is structured in a way that makes it decidedly easy for Kyle Dubas to either bury his cap hit or ship him to a team desperately grasping at the cap floor.
So, while he’s a fine leader and positive influence on the young stars, you simply can’t give the captaincy to someone whose future remains so uncertain.
Hainsey finds himself in the same boat as Marleau. An ageing vet whose future with the club is noticeably murky, he cannot be committed to long-term.
I have no doubts that, were Hainsey a few years younger, he could make a wonderful captain. The 36-year-old is a calm, steady presence on a backend who’s needed one for quite some time. And, while his play may have dipped as the season wore on, he dutifully assumed all responsibilities Mike Babcock placed on his shoulders.
Again, the person fits. The timeline does not.
Fun, But No
Now, I would LOVE to see the mainstream hand wringing caused by a Kadri captaincy.
This is a guy who, a few years ago, had an image of himself photoshopped into a diaper plastered on the front page of one of Toronto’s most popular newspapers.
Which, by the way, shows just what type of publication they are.
It’s undeniable that Kadri has made herculean strides under Babcock as both a hockey player and leader. Lauded for his flashy offensive skill, Kadri has since morphed into one of the NHL’s premier shutdown centres, all while maintaining a 30 goal pace.
He’s great. But, he should not be captain.
In recent years, the captain designation has become less of a one-man leadership badge and more of a permission slip to talk to the referees. And guess which player on the Leafs referees universally hate?
That’s right, it’s Nazem Kadri.
Not to mention, it’s certainly not ideal for your future captain to get himself suspended 3 games of a crucial playoff series versus your biggest rival thanks to a bone-headed play.
The Contenders
Which brings us to the true contenders.
Both Matthews and Rielly make compelling claims for the captaincy. Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them. Still, with that said, I’m taking Matthews.
How important to a team is a captain really? Vegas is in the Cup Final as we speak, and no one in their room bears a “C”. It’s almost as if grown professionals don’t need a letter on their chest to be leaders.
Rielly may have the tenure and poise, but Matthews is your star. The pair is close friends away from the rink, and, per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnson, have already comprised the new era’s leadership core themselves.
Regardless of who the letter goes to, the other will play a big part in the cultural direction of the team.
The captaincy has now become a branding tool. Unless he’s a total doofus, the honour usually falls to your superstar. Not to mention, jerseys with “C”s on them both look cooler and sell better.
And you better believe a Matthews sweater with that patch on it will sell better than a Rielly one.
In all, Matthews has demonstrated the necessary poise and temperament to navigate the fishbowl of Toronto. At just 20-years-old, he genuinely does not seem to care what people think about him. Which is precisely the attitude you need to survive in this market.
That’s who I want as the figurehead.
What Do You Think?
But, it doesn’t matter what I have to say. What do YOU think? Comment below to be potentially featured in the follow-up piece later this week!
Thanks for reading!