With the Toronto Maple Leafs captaincy vacant for three seasons, the organization has hinted to naming a new captain for the upcoming season. The core is newly locked down and the captaincy is the final piece in solidifying the roster.
Leafs Captaincy Candidates
Morgan Rielly has been my personal choice in captain over the past few seasons. He has worn an ‘A’ and been a consistent, solid membership of the Leafs leadership team, often acting as the unspoken, unofficial Leafs captain. He handles the media well and has proved his dedication to the community off the ice. However, Rielly receiving the ‘C’ is the most unlikely outcome. If he has always the Leafs’ top choice, why hasn’t he been named in the seasons prior?
So given the overall wait time and timeline, Auston Matthews was originally the most logical and most commonly predicted choice of captain. As the first overall pick in 2016, Matthews has always been somewhat of a figurehead and a metaphor for the new era of Maple Leafs hockey. Freshly locked down until 2024, the timing lines up with handing him the captaincy.
John Tavares
However, with Matthews’s criminal misdemeanor trial fresh in the news and still in proceedings, the timeline carefully crafted by the Leafs organization is completely turned upside down. Because the captaincy is an important figurehead and the ultimate player representative of the organization, Matthews has unfortunately failed to prove himself in that capacity. But given the build-up, giving him the captaincy isn’t completely out of the question but would be undoubtedly controversial.
This leaves John Tavares, which is in itself not a bad choice. Tavares is already proven capable of captaincy, serving five seasons as the captain of the New York Islanders. He also wore an ‘A’ for the Leafs last season, giving him experience as a leader specifically for the Leafs. This is certainly a resume booster over Matthews, who has never worn a letter for the Leafs outside of preseason. Also, the narrative of Tavares coming home for less than his market value emulates a sense of loyalty and community to Toronto. Not bad for a captain.
Chris Johnston on Sportsnet 590 The Fan claims Tavares will be the ultimate choice. It seems even likelier by the day.
Timing is Everything
But no matter who is named, the Leafs should wait to announce the captaincy. The organization has already waited a few years, a little more time is not only tolerable in comparison but perhaps the better route in the long run.
Naming Matthews would be controversial. Naming anyone else would be overshadowed by the claims that it was originally Matthews and the misdemeanor incident was a last-minute decision-changer. There is no clean way to name a captain right now.
However, Paul Hendrick from Leafs Nation Network mentions that the Leafs captaincy announcement may be postponed to December.
Naming a captain midseason is not ideal. It’s important for the team to start the season with the least amount of major changes and distractions. While the letter doesn’t make that much of a difference on the ice, the shift in leadership in the middle of the season is awkward for the locker room.
But TSN’s James Duthie says the captaincy will still be announced before the opening night game. It’s just in time to set the tone for the start of the season.
Both of the options are risky choices of timing, but the pressure to name a captain is building. It seems the Leafs organization will strive to meet promises to have a captain this season.
Importance of the Leafs Captaincy
The Maple Leafs captaincy is a delicate matter because of the weight it carries. On the NHL Executive Suite Podcast, Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said, “It’s not something where if you do it, it’s a mistake you can just change it and no one will talk about it. It’s going to be a big deal so I think we’re going to have to get it right.”
Dubas stresses how important this decision is to the organization and the community. It makes it even more imperative that the Leafs wait it out to ensure that they do get it right.
Ultimately, the captaincy will be announced at some point in the near future. There are plenty of solid and dependable candidates on the roster. The title carries a lot of meaning for representing the Maple Leafs brand but there’s little room for bad decisions. At the end of the day, the captaincy will solidify this competitive roster and complete the face of the team.
Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @jxcquelineoh
