It's August 1 and there is no news coming out of Stockholm. At this point no news is looking more like bad news. Mats Sundin didn't jump at the chance to play for a young, talented Montreal team with a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup. Sundin didn't jump at the Vancouver offer which would have made him one of the highest paid player in the league. He hasn't decided to return to the Leafs to provide some leadership to an inexperienced, rebuilding team.
So it may be time for these teams to start looking ahead and moving on. For the Leafs that means figuring out what to do for a captain. No one player stands out. They may have a future captain in Luke Schemm but he may not even be ready for the NHL right now. Young players like Matt Stajan and Alex Steen haven't established the credentials needed to replace Sundin. If you look at the veteran players Nik Antropov, Thomas Kaberle, and Pavel Kubina, they are all possibilities yet each possess flaws as leaders. You could always rotate the "C" among these players for the time being.
I actually believed that Cliff Fletcher picked up Jamal Mayer from St. Louis to fill a leadership void until a younger player was ready to take on the captaincy. Rob Ramage assumed the role between 1989-91 until it was handed over to Wendel Clark.
So what do you think? Pick your choice for captain in the sidebar.
12 years ago
