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William Wilson, a writer for the Sports Illustrated Leafs fan blog, Tip of the Tower, seems to think so:
http://tipofthetower.com/2015/07/04/toronto-maple-leafs-should-david-booth-be-the-next-captain/
http://tipofthetower.com/2015/07/04/toronto-maple-leafs-should-david-booth-be-the-next-captain/
Toronto Maple Leafs: Should David Booth be the Next Captain?
by William Wilson 1d ago
Let’s play every part-time Leafs blogger’s favourite game – let’s play Hypothetical Situation Concerning the Future Direction of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Afterwards, we might want to think of a less awkward name for this game.)
We can begin by assuming that the Leafs somehow manage to move Dion Phaneuf and his cumbersome contract – who they get in return, how much salary they retain are unimportant questions for the sake of this exercise – before the start of the next season. We can further assume that the Leafs are actively, if not successfully, shopping Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak, essentially showing the current leadership group the door.
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The Leafs need a veteran leader who can carry them through the difficult process of rebuilding their team – someone who is dependable, consistent and approachable. I’m not sure van Riemsdyk is that player right now.
Daniel Winnik, who the Leafs re-signed on Wednesday, is one option. Another potential option that I really like is David Booth. Of course, they’ll need to re-sign him, but he’ll come on the cheap and he’s full of experience, battling through adversity both on and off the ice throughout his career.
I say this because Booth was one of the few players who really stood out at the end of last season. You could tell he was giving it his all. As the Leafs began to falter, his game only improved. He was even committed enough to challenge Phil Kessel during practice – that’s the kind of guy you want leading your squad. He could very easily be our Brian Gionta.
There are three obvious counterarguments to making Booth the next captain of the Leafs: 1) he’s rarely healthy; 2) he’s no longer a star player in the NHL; and 3) he’s not under contract right now. If you remember, however, this is a hypothetical exercise so we can ignore all of these pesky “hiccups” sent our way by reality.
Booth is a Brendan Shanahan type of player – someone committed to the game and who gives it his all every single day – which makes him an ideal, if not real, option to lead the Leafs.
What do you think? Who should be the next captain of the Leafs? What about Lupul – would he make a better candidate? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
