Well if it was only the throat slash then perhaps I'd lend more credence to the idea of the next Captain being Kadri. But its not. Its a number of things lead by a team given suspension by a current member of Leafs senior management.
I also don't think it will be Rielly, no need to dump that pressure on his shoulders. Forget about Laich though, I'm sure whoever our next captain is, he will be appointed with the thinking that he will were the "C" for a long time, no stopgap solutions here.
Why not Laich? If Rielly is too young (and he is), who do we have that can even conceivably be a captain? JVR, Komarov and Gardiner? I don't know if I want any of them being our long-time captain in a few years when they are secondary players on this team. For a year or two? Sure. Longer? I think we can do better. But you can't strip them of the "C" once they have it.
If the Leafs feel they absolutely need a captain for next year, Laich makes sense as a stop-gap because he may be gone in a year or two, when perhaps Rielly or a UFA/traded player is ready to take over. On its face, Laich looks like he has leadership capabilities, and is old enough to have the respect of the entire dressing room. Whether that's actually true, Babcock would know.
Brooks Laich
I just have a feeling that the next captain will be someone who they see being around for a long time. If they do decide to appoint someone short term then I think Laich would a good choice.
That would be ideal. It should be a privilege to wear the Leafs captaincy, when you think about who wore the C before. Most recently, Clark, Gilmour and Sundin. And fine, Phaneuf, but he was a much bigger deal when we got him. I just don't see any good candidates who are ready now to be a long-time captain.
I suppose you could always just go without a captain for another year, but I think that would only hurt the Leafs. Laich just seems to be the best choice out of an uninspiring bunch.
To be fair.... "no one is captain" is a possible decision as well.
I refuse to believe anyone actually thinks this is a good idea.
This same fanbase wanted to give it to either Komisarek or Beauchemin before they'd even played a game for Toronto so...
...... so....? You didn't finish your point.
Why don't you tell us who you would pick or not pick, and we'll decide if it's worth ridiculing.
I would wait.
The poster expressed incredulity at the thought of Laich becoming captain. I pointed out that fans wanted two guys who would later become reviled as Leafs to be considered without having played a game.
I've not expressed an opinion one way or the other regarding any of the players I mentioned, so let's just shut that conversation down right now because I don't care.And I would just as easily say the Leafs might think they need a captain.
As you said, Komi and Beauchemin hadn't played a game with us yet. They didn't know their teammates. Management didn't know of work ethics or team dynamics inside the dressing room, in practice, on the road, etc. Laich has already played with us. They had no problem giving the C to Phaneuf early on.
It's not what the fans think management should do. It's what they think management might do.
I've not expressed an opinion one way or the other regarding any of the players I mentioned, so let's just shut that conversation down right now because I don't care.
And management has nothing to do with a thread in which fans express who they feel should be captain. We can talk all we want about who we think it should be, but it doesn't matter anyway.
I believe every game, someone has to act as captain. The closest we can come to no captain is to appoint a bunch, have them take turns, that takes the pressure off everyone.
Another thing that has been done in the past is to have the players vote and pick a captain. That might be an idea here, have a vote and the top X number of vote getters share the job.