Kyle Dubas is wise to be patient in naming Maple Leafs’ next captain
By Simon Vacca
Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas has wisely confirmed that the team will not have a formal captain heading into the outset of the 2018-19 campaign.
For over two and a half years, the Toronto Maple Leafs — one of the National Hockey League’s most storied franchises, for good and for ill — have been without a captain.
The matter has dominated the talk circuit of Toronto media, as pundits, fans, critics and adversaries continue to grapple with the question of who will be selected to fill the shoes of the club’s former bearer of the ‘C,’ Dion Phaneuf. It’s also an issue that, according to GM Kyle Dubas, shall remain unresolved heading into the 2018-19 season.
Speaking with TSN, Dubas gestured to the overarching significance of the subject at hand:
"It’s an honour to be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs … I want to get into it day to day with these people and see who is best suited to handle it if we do determine we need somebody to handle it … But I do think we have excellent leadership in the room."
Disappointing? For some, yes. Not only does the Maple Leafs’ lack of a captain promise to fuel the narrative that one of the team’s primary obstacles during the upcoming campaign shall be the prospect of ensuring that John Tavares and Auston Matthews see eye to eye, but the absence of an official leader all but makes certain the belief that the Buds’ locker room will remain a central feature of speculation as the next season nears.
Nevertheless, it would be mistaken to equate Dubas’ patience with hesitance. While the GM has confirmed that the question of captaincy shall go unanswered at the start of the campaign — his exact words arose from an exchange with Bob McKenzie, in which he remarked, “Not from the outset, I think” — the 32-year-old maintained that he is open to naming one in the event that the need for more direct guidance comes to light. He even went so far as to tell McKenzie that, “If we feel we have a void in leadership because we don’t have a formal captain, then it’s something that I think we can address.”
Tavares, captain of the New York Islanders since 2013, and Matthews, apparently groomed for the role since the moment in which he was drafted first overall back in 2016, are widely regarded as the frontrunners to eventually don the ‘C.’ Both players have publicly commented on the significance of the position within the organization, but have nonetheless downplayed the notion that the letter could act as the driving force of an eventual rift. Seemingly a dark-horse candidate, Morgan Rielly’s name has also been mentioned in discussions of the captaincy. The 24-year-old defender is no stranger to being tasked with multifaceted responsibilities, and is the most promising feature of the team’s (largely unconvincing) blue line.
Morgan Rielly on whether #Leafs captaincy is bigger topic outside than inside the dressing room: "Yeah, I think so...but you guys [in the media] have a job to do and that’s fine, we understand that, that’s part of it. We go about our business every day as we always have."
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) September 6, 2018
Yet as Pierre LeBrun recently wrote, “No matter what happens, this is the year of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Win or lose, sink or swim, Stanley Cup or disaster around the corner, the Leafs are going to absolutely dominate the headlines in the hockey world.”
The acquisition of Tavares, coupled with extensive expectations from around the league regarding the club’s young core is nothing short of a confirmation that, with or without a captain, the eyes of the hockey world will be on Mike Babcock’s men. And it’s because of this overwhelming reality — the seemingly endless criticism, the looming questions and the unescapable vitriol that will cast its shadow upon the not-so-distant horizon — that Dubas has opted in favor of the extremely cautious route.
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Whatever the case, Dubas’ announcement — or lack thereof — is a sign that the Maple Leafs’ 17th GM is playing his cards carefully. His decision has the potential to alter the dynamic of one of the NHL’s most talked about contenders for Lord Stanley’s Trophy.
Indeed, the silence may be deafening. But it’s a quiet that is rooted in the spirit of healthy — and in turn, necessary — competition, as the franchise looks to alter the course of its history.