Toronto Maple Leafs: Should We Consider Freddie For Captain?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still without a captain.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone the unconventional route since Captain Phaneuf was traded in 2016, so why not continue down that road?

The Leafs have no captain, but they have a lot of leadership.

Auston Matthews, Morgan Reilly and John Tavares are the names most commonly mentioned in captaincy discussions, and it’s no secret they have the leadership abilities to each make a great captain for the team. Also among the strong leaders in the locker room, though, is netminderFrederik Andersen.

Toronto Maple Leafs Captaincy

In an October 2018 article for the Toronto Star, sports columnist Dave Feschuk highlighted the ways in which Freddie, a “soft-spoken introvert by nature,” was coming into his own as a leader for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"Clearly Andersen wasn’t suited to being a dictatorial type or a rah-rah guy. But having observed Andersen in his gym all these offseasons, [performance coach, Scot] Prohaska, whose regulars include elite athletes from the UFC to the NFL and beyond, knew Andersen possessed a quiet presence that commanded respect."

He goes on to say that younger hockey players often approach Freddie at the gym for advice.

I think his soft-spoken and quiet nature, which make him calm and cordial on the ice, is a perfect fit for captain. Why? Because goalie captains aren’t the same as skater captains, as per league rules. Really, goalies aren’t permitted to be captains at all. But there are ways to work around that.

Way back in 2008

Eleven years ago, goaltender Roberto Luongo was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks. Because the league doesn’t actually allow goalies to be captains, coach Alain Vigneault and GM Mike Gillis (at the time) chose three skaters as alternate captains to take ceremonial puck drops and argue with referees. Additionally, because Luongo couldn’t have the C on his jersey, he had one painted on his mask.

Done. Goalie captain and no rules broken.

Gillis cited Luongo’s leadership as the driving force behind their decision to name him captain, stating it would be a waste to overlook that. At the time, Luongo was often Vancouver’s best player on the ice so naming him captain was probably a way to get things moving. Sure enough, Vancouver made it to the second round of the playoffs both seasons Luongo was captain.

He stepped down for very respectable reasons – avoiding distractions to mainly focus on stopping the puck – but at the end of the day, his performance wasn’t totally hindered despite a groin injury and his captaincy kicked off a five-year postseason streak, ending when he was traded to the Florida Panthers.

Toronto Defense Needs A Boost

After years of criticism from fans, the Toronto Maple Leafs finally have what looks to be a strong defensive core. For too long, FredEx has been the best defensive player on the ice every night. And while that’s not totally a bad thing, now he’ll have blueliners he can rightfully depend on.

Why not take the importance of defence one step further and name Freddie captain? He’s already proved himself an elite goaltender and his team respects him and notes him as a reason to win every game. He won’t have to leave his crease and get worked up with officials – that’s what the alternate captains are for.

Steady Freddie’s job would be to steer the team in the right direction, give sound advice, stay focused on the task at hand and represent the importance of defence to this franchise.