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Toronto Maple Leafs: No need for a captain this season

By James Reeve

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, second from left, celebrates with William Nylander #29, Auston Matthews #34, Jake Gardiner #51 and Andreas Johnsson #18 after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup play-offs at TD Garden on April 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Patrick Marleau #12 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, second from left, celebrates with William Nylander #29, Auston Matthews #34, Jake Gardiner #51 and Andreas Johnsson #18 after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the first period of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2018 Stanley Cup play-offs at TD Garden on April 25, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had a captain since trading Dion Phaneuf away in 2016, and this is something that should continue this upcoming season.

There has been much debate as to who the Toronto Maple Leafs should name as the next captain of the team, with Auston Matthews and John Tavares both considered the frontrunners for the role.

Morgan Rielly has, on occasion, been mentioned as having an outside chance at earning the ‘C’ – having once been viewed as the captain of the future before Matthews was drafted.

Matthews, in particular, has voiced his opinion on the situation, believing that he would be ready to step up if the team decided to give him the captaincy.

Tavares, however, is already captain material and has held the ‘C’ for the past five years with the New York Islanders.

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This decision, however, should not be made in haste and instead made one year from now.

Since Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 9, 2016, the Toronto Maple Leafs have operated a committee of alternate captains, with Rielly, Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov and Patrick Marleau all wearing the ‘A’ at various points last season.

With Bozak and Komarov both playing for new teams this season, it leaves room for new alternate captains to be named.

The most logical option for the Leafs would be to name both Tavares and Matthews as alternate captains, continuing to operate the captaincy by committee.

Having someone named as the dedicated captain is not necessary in today’s NHL; having a group of leaders recognised with the ‘A’ and identified as leaders on the team would be the best solution in the short-term.

Typically, teams will have three or four dedicated alternates if they do not have a captain, with Rielly and Marleau both being the logical players to partner with Matthews and Tavares.

It is clear that Matthews views himself as the future captain of the team and giving him the ‘A’ alongside Tavares for the upcoming season will give him the opportunity to step up and show he is a legitimate leader for the Leafs.

It will also give the team a season to prepare to elevate him up to the full captain role and put to bed one of the ongoing storylines of this offseason.

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What do you think Toronto Maple Leafs fans? Should the team give Matthews and Tavares an ‘A’ this season, or should they just name a captain this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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