The All Encompassing Captaincy Discussion Uber Megathread

[BillyD]

... the corporate synergy and endorsement opportunities with "Captain Morgan Rum" would be to great for MLSE to pass up the opportunity to hand Rielly the C

 

[HellasLEAF]

not only not yet, I don't see Morgan as a captain at all really.

he's a very valuable player and I don't mind seeing him with an A one day.

 

[Lion15]

he has the potential that's for sure

 

[topched]

This is what it's come to eh?

"He tries really hard and might be a good player... MAKE HIM CAPTAIN!"

 

[Fogelhund]

I would go with Brownie.

My vote in a couple of years too.

 

[Super Mega]

in time, this organization is in too much turmoil still to give mo the C

 

[senor martinez]

If trying is the measuring stick; Phaneuf should be the captain.


This would be a surefire way to throw a bunch of other **** on this kids shoulders. Let him focus on hockey; this would be a pretty good way to almost certainly derail his development.

"Trying" is not the only indicator. Rielly has done special exceptional things with the puck while others and he too were losing a-lot. Rielly is pretty smart and not the most vocal sucker, but he leads by example like Yzerman etc in the past.
There are other options as well of course. Phaneuf has been the worst captain I've never seen or heard with the maple leafs. Even Komarov would be much, much better.

in time, this organization is in too much turmoil still to give mo the C

But don't you think there should be a captain in every single season we play hockey? Legendary team like us. A team should always have a captain. I think a team is not complete if there's no captain period.

 

[diceman934]

I'm likely the biggest Rielly fan on here and I say no! He would be a solid choice for an A in the future. Harrington would be a possible captain as would Mitch....but lets wait a little and see what happens.

 

[calcal798]

He's 21 and we already have a captain. I really, really, really doubt Babcock would strip Phaneuf of the C or do that and then give it to Rielly.

 

[Trapper]

In a few years I see the captains as:
C-Magic Mitch
A-Rielly
A-Bracco(if he pans out)/Brown

Actually it wouldn't surprise me if one of Harrington/Dermott wore a letter.
Character guys which is really the point. If you have a team where 15 players are deserving of a letter that's great.

 

[Mugzy97]

. Phaneuf has been the worst captain I've never seen or heard with the maple leafs. Even Komarov would be much, much better.

Oh yeah the Komarov over at his homeland being charged for 4 felonies? Yeah Varlamov should be captain in Colorado and Voynov in LA.

 

[HarrisonFord]

Good read here on Dion and the captaincy:

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/791932

 

[StevieBlunder]

I don't think we NEED to trade him. If we did, like Kessel, everyone will be upset that we got too little for him.

I'm sure he'll be actively shopped, and I'm sure that he'll be better under Babcock. If they ice him, I'm expecting- moderate- improvement. He's a good player, overpaid a touch and poorly used. If I were Mike Babcock I'd be reaching out to him right now. And who knows, maybe that is happening.

There are lots of options with Phaneuf, I think people are too frantic about moving him. And stripping the C just leaves him as uninspired deadweight.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Keep Dion. If we take him away, we are only pooping all over Gardiner and Rielly. Sometimes leaders are sacrificial lambs. Dion has been criticized his entire career for one reason or another. Let him shoulder that, not the kids. He only gets easier to trade as the contract burden lessens, which coincides with the maturation of the kids.

 

[CrazyCanuck89]

I remember a game two years ago when Paul Ranger got knocked out by Victor Hedman. The refs ended up calling it a period with four seconds left. Every leaf player stayed out on the ice to see if Ranger was ok, Phaneuf was the only one who went to the dressing room. He should have been stripped of the C after that stunt.

 

[ACC1224]

I remember a game two years ago when Paul Ranger got knocked out by Victor Hedman. The refs ended up calling it a period with four seconds left. Every leaf player stayed out on the ice to see if Ranger was ok, Phaneuf was the only one who went to the dressing room. He should have been stripped of the C after that stunt.

I don't believe it happened quite that way.

 

[Swervin81]

Good old Paul Ranger. The 7th d-man that outscored David Clarkson

 

[Turk Broda]

I remember a game two years ago when Paul Ranger got knocked out by Victor Hedman. The refs ended up calling it a period with four seconds left. Every leaf player stayed out on the ice to see if Ranger was ok, Phaneuf was the only one who went to the dressing room. He should have been stripped of the C after that stunt.

I didn't see that game. But it's possible that Phaneuf was injured on the play and needed to go in for repairs?

 

[Sonofamitch]

Strip him down

 

[ACC1224]

I didn't see that game. But it's possible that Phaneuf was injured on the play and needed to go in for repairs?

Probably went to get Ranger a can of Red Bull.

 

[likeabosski]

Dion Phaneuf is not strong enough defensively to command the type of two-way #1 D-Man role that was thrust upon him.

I'm in no rush to trade Phaneuf. Because his trade value is likely low right now. The team really had a bad year and he has a $42 million/6 year contract. That said, Phaneuf is 30 years old. If you're gonna cash in on him, it might be now or never? His value might actually dip even lower next season. He'll have 1 less year on his contract. But he'll be a year older...

 

[Loosie]

This board...thank God you guys don't run the team.

Phaneuf will be Captain until he is no longer a Maple Leaf.

 

[CrazyCanuck89]

My bad it was Alex Killorn, not Victor Hedman.

 

[Joey Hoser]

You trade him, or he's the captain until a suitable replacement comes forward.

There's really nothing to be gained by stripping it from him and you're just inviting drama by doing it.

 

[seanlinden]

Good read here on Dion and the captaincy:

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/791932

A very well written article.

The other thing one has to consider, is that with Kessel, you could at least make the case, that the team was better off without him.

If they're going to buy into a no-nonsense, aggressive north-south game, with an aggressive forecheck, that isn't a game that Phil Kessel can play, and as a result, isn't a game that his line can succeed at. If you can get a player who contributes 20+ goals and 30+ assists, but has a much stronger 2-way game, the benefits to that line's time spent away from the defensive zone may offset the loss of his offence. I'm not neccessarily saying you win that arguement, but there are at least points to be made.

The same cannot be said about Phaneuf. Here's a guy who does basically everything for you, and does a lot of very important things substantially better than anyone else on the team. No, he can't quite move the puck like Jake Gardiner or Morgan Rielly, no, his shot wasn't as effective as Cody Franson's, but neither of these were weaknesses either. On the flip side, in terms of who you'd want out against the other team's top opposition, or defending a narrow lead, Phaneuf was and is far away the most qualified defenceman to do that job.

The Leafs are in a bit of a interesting spot when it comes to the distribution of their forwards and D, especially considering that generally, defencemen take longer to develop than forwards.

In the NHL, Up front, the lineup has 2 young high output/upside guys in JvR and Kadri, and then a lot guys who would be described as "fillers", and of course there are 12 forward positions to fill. In the system, there's a ton of potential & high end skill with Marner, Nylander, Brown, Kapanen & Bracco. On D, at the pro level, the Leafs already have a couple of young high output/upside guys in Rielly & Gardiner who've proven to be top 4 defencemen. In the system, notably less exciting, with a bunch of guys who's ultimate upside is likely that of a #4 defenceman. If you believe that Phaneuf ages well in a more structured system / defensive minded role (I think he will), then really, all you're left looking for is one more top 4 guy... the last thing I think the Leafs want to do, is end up like the Oilers where you've loaded up on high potential forwards, they start developing, but you just can't get the defencemen required to take your team to the next level.