With all the talk about Tomas Kaberle and Matt Stajan having career years it has also been suggested that one of the two be named captain. Always over looked is the most under-rated yet most valuable player on the team, Ian White.
Although Kaberle is 4th in the NHL in scoring for defensemen with 43 points, White is tied for 7th in goal scored by defensemen with 9. However, White is a +4 while Kaberle is a -9, a 13-goal differential. That puts White in the top 75 defensemen for =/- which might not sound like a big deal but look at the goaltending be plays in front of. Kaberle is not even in the top 200. Their ice time is equal with over 23 minutes played per game but much of Kaberle's ice time is on the powerplay. On penalty kills and five-on-five you are more likely to see White on the ice. He seems to be out there in every key situation.
As for Matt Stajan, he has yet to prove he is a front line player. He is merely fill in as one until some more quality players arrive. So his career year may require an asterisk. In addition, his tenure on the Leafs is very much up in the air. Although Stajan may want to remain a Leaf, it's hard to say if management fells the same way.
Maybe no one is deserving of the captaincy at the moment but also no one is more deserving at this moment than Ian White.
