Heading into the off-season, seven NHL teams had their captaincy position vacant – the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs. As of now, the Blues, Jets and Predators have new captains for their teams, leaving Leafs fans wondering who will replace Dion Phaneuf, the Leafs previous captain who was traded to the Ottawa Senators last season, as the next club’s captain.

Potential Candidates for the Next Toronto Maple Leafs Captain

Auston Matthews

It is quite fair to declare that the clearest choice is none other than the 2016 first overall pick, Auston Matthews. To start, he’s a first overall pick, who’s been in the spotlight for years already and is practiced in handling pressure. He’s expected to be a franchise player, who are usually naturally capable of handling a captaincy role.

Additionally, we can take a look at two other significant first overall picks that the Leafs have had on their team in the past – Wendel Clark and Mats Sundin. Both players served excellent terms as captain for the Leafs. Both were franchise players who made the rest of their team play better, which is definitely an aspect of Matthews’ play that should carry over into the NHL.

Set to be a future NHL star, Matthews’ maturity level already seems high enough to lead a team. He is very focused, team-oriented, and conducts interviews with the most boring but calculated answers, proving not to be tricked by the ever so sneaky Toronto media. The latter is a vital skill needed for someone to captain the Leafs.

The best comparable for Matthews is Jonathan Toews, not only in his play, but also in his personality. Toews, the current captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, plays a two-way game that is very similar to how Matthews plays. Toews is also nicknamed “Captain Serious” for being a very focused and determined leader who puts the game and his teammates before anything else. This is very evident in Matthews as well, who can be seen as Toronto’s own “future Captain Serious” if things go that way.

So what’s stopping him from being captain? Matthews is only 18 and hasn’t played an NHL game yet. He must first mature as a player and gain NHL experience before he can lead a team and handle referees. There is no way he is becoming captain right away obviously, but it is still a possibility that he can be named captain in a year or two.

Taking a look at the youngest captains in the NHL, Gabriel Landeskog became the youngest captain ever at 19 years and 286 days old. Additionally, Sidney Crosby got the “C” at 19 years and 297 days old, and Toews received the honour at 20 years and 80 days old. All these players received the honour after a single year of play, and although it’s about experience and maturity rather than age, Matthews could be potentially ready to lead this team in a year.

Morgan Rielly, the up and coming defenseman of the future for the Leafs, also makes a case for captain. Drafted fifth overall by Toronto in 2012, he has evolved into a potential first pair defenceman. He is a great presence for the team already, and is playing top pair minutes. He is 22 years old and has three full seasons with the Leafs under his belt.

With Phaneuf gone, he has really taken on a leadership role, not only on the blue line, but also for the entire team. He became the team leader in average time on ice this season with 23:14, blocked the most even strength shots on the team with 220, had the third highest scoring total on the team with 36 points (highest among Leafs defenceman), and was the only player on the Leafs this year to play a full 82 games. One of the older “young guns” on the team, making him a leader of the new Leafs core, Rielly won a World Championship with Canada this year, and will also play in the World Cup of Hockey this month as one of Team North America’s top defencemen.

Rielly has already built a pretty decent career for himself already, and he’s only 22. He also has a good amount of time to serve as captain, as he is signed until 2022. Rielly would be an excellent choice to be the new captain of the Maple Leafs, and fans would get the bonus of cleverly dubbing him “Captain Morgan.” Only time will tell whether he gets the captaincy now, in a season or two, or not at all.

Other than the two obvious options in Matthews and Rielly, many fans have been raving about Leo Komarov becoming the next potential captain, and it is understandable why. The 29-year-old is a veteran presence with a great, gritty style of play. He loves to get under the opponents’ skin, and he never backs down. He also tied Rielly for third in the Leafs scoring race with 36 points, and was the Leafs only participant at the 2016 All-Star Game. Komarov may not be a career first liner, but he gets the job done as a top nine forward.

Being one of the oldest and most experienced players among a fairly young, inexperienced, and upcoming core, his leadership on the team is obvious. The kids can learn a lot from him as they progress through the big league. He’s a fan favourite, with a lovable and entertaining personality.

Despite all this, he just does not seem to be the right choice to get the “C.” Many people want Komarov to be the captain of the team until the younger guys mature and start taking charge. This scenario, however, just does not seem likely to happen. Simply put, the Leafs are a historic team, and they don’t just give the “C” out to anyone. Komarov is a great choice now, but would clearly be passed by other players who are more eager to take major roles on this team.

In the team’s long and rich history, Leafs captains are most usually given the responsibility for rather long terms. It’s highly unlikely that the Leafs would like to temporarily give a player the honourable role of captain of the Leafs, which is why Komarov does not seem to be the right fit. However, he should definitely receive an “A” on his sweater this season, as he has in the past, and perhaps for years to come.

Nazem Kadri makes a solid case to be captain of the Leafs. A London, Ontario raised boy, he was the star prospect for the Leafs up until the new rebuild took. Drafted seventh overall by the Leafs in 2009, Kadri has been through most of it. He’s worked his way through the lows of being in the AHL, to the highs of making the playoffs, and back to the lows of Game 7 against the Boston Bruins and its aftermath.

Despite these rocky roads, Kadri has no doubt been one of the players most grateful to be on the team. He has taken a bigger leadership role on this team as he has matured, not to mention he’s probably been the Leafs best centre in recent seasons. But with bigger name players coming up in the system, is he really the best fit for captain?

As lovable as Kadri is, the answer would have to be no. It seems as though people are still waiting for Kadri to truly step up as a major contributor to this team. He has shown so much already, but it seems that he still has more in him that can be displayed. With Matthews coming up with more star power, he will most likely become the Leafs number two centre as well. It’s probably best to let Kadri do what he does best without any pressure of being captain.

Brooks Laich is the oldest player on the Leafs current roster (excluding Stephane Robidas for obvious reasons) at 33 years old. With that age comes experience and maturity. Entering his 13th season in the NHL, Laich brings great veteran leadership to the inexperienced Leafs roster. His role on the ice as a part of the Leafs forward core may be small, but his presence in the locker room is most likely massive.

One interesting aspect that can help his case is the fact that he is able to set a prime example for other teammates. Just take a look at the NHL summer he is having, as shown in this Instagram post. At 33 years old, he is still working hard to better himself as a player, which a lot of younger players on the team can learn from.

In the end, however, Laich most likely is not the best fit for captain. He only has one year left on his contract, and Toronto’s promise of fourth line ice time will most likely not be very intriguing to him with so many prospects coming up. Laich’s leadership role can be utilized well this season for the younger guys, but the Leafs would be better off with a captain who is set for the long haul.

Suggested Plan of Action

The Leafs best bet would be to wait at least a year without a captain. The Leafs are a historic team and they most likely will not hand the “C” out to just anyone, even on a temporary basis. They will have to take some time to select a true, long-term captain, who will lead the team for many, many years.

This season, they most likely will go with three alternates for players like Kadri, Rielly, Matt Hunwick, Komarov, Tyler Bozak, or James van Reimsdyk. They should let the older players guide the younger players, allowing them to mature naturally as they gain experience. After more than a year, it is easy to see either Matthews or Rielly becoming the new captain of the Maple Leafs. Kadri, Komarov, or the other of Rielly/Matthews would be the obvious choices to be alternates.

Let me know in the comments who you think will become the Toronto Maple Leafs next captain.

Main Photo.