After the Toronto Maple Leafs traded captain Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators, the team announced that they wouldn’t name a new captain during the remaining portion of the 2015-16 season. That’s a pretty common practice in the NHL as most teams wait until the summer to name the new leadership for the next season.
The Maple Leafs and Mike Babcock are planning to do things a bit differently, stating they don’t plan to have a captain in 2016-17.
Babcock doesn't expect the Leafs will have a captain next season.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 10, 2016
Captains in the NHL are mostly symbolic. They don’t really have any actual responsibilities, though they are permitted to talk with the officials when penalties are handed out. Being named a captain is more of an honor bestowed on a player rather than an actual job.
The Maple Leafs are in a transition period and have a load of young talent on the roster. There are only a handful of players on the roster who have the NHL experience and the time invested with the Maple Leafs to warrant earning the captain title. Tyler Bozak seemed like a possibility and is currently one of the alternate captains, but it doesn’t look like the team is going in that direction.
There isn’t a real obvious choice for the next captain and that’s why the Leafs will likely play next season without one.
