MacArthur for team captain?

Clarke MacArthur at the Leafs outdoor practice last year.

Dion who?  I think that’s the initial reaction people get when they’re told Dion Phaneuf is our current captain right now.  I myself forget that we even have a captain from the way he’s been performing.   On the other hand, Clarke MacArthur seems to be captain material.

After Thursday’s  5-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks, MacArthur has shown time and time again that he is arguably the best player on the team next to Mikhail Grabovski.  He registered three points tonight including a goal and two assists.  The goal by MacArthur marked his 15^th of the season and leads the team with forty points.

I know that stats aren’t everything when choosing a captain for the team.  But the way MacArthur has been playing is setting an example and indirectly giving confidence and motivation to the team.  When you see someone score or register a point as much as he is doing every game, it sends a message to the team, the organization and fans.  MacArthur handles himself very well on and off the ice.  He’s a classy player and is becoming a very popular and respectable player in this city. 

All I’m saying is that the Leafs don’t have anyone to look up to at the moment.  The first thing that comes to mind should be Dion but it’s far from that.  The media has said over and over again that he has good leadership skills but I’m beginning to doubt that.   With only one goal, seven assists and eight points, and given the teams record so far, I question his motivation for himself and the team.  Of course we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the dressing room, but when your team goes on an eight game losing streak or a 7-0 loss, it’s the captain’s job to step up and rally the guys together to perform better and win more.  So far, I haven’t heard him do this and he rarely speaks to the media.  I remember when Mats Sundin was team captain, he addressed many of the teams’ issues (positive and negative) to the media almost after or before every game.  The captain, on most sports teams, is the ones who usually receives the most media attention during a scrum but Dion is rarely in the spotlight in Toronto. This makes us forget that he’s our captain.  And when he is on camera, he’s very vague when responding to questions and doesn’t seem very enthusiastic even after a win.

I think the Leafs made the right decision in the beginning naming him captain of the team.  He 100% deserved it from the way he played and presented himself as a leader on the Calgary Flames.  But for some reason his typical aggressiveness and physical defensive plays on the ice suddenly vanished when he landed in Toronto.

Although I would love to see the “C” sewn on to MacArthur’s jersey, as good as he is right now, it’s too early to do so.   This is the only year he has really been the star player on a team compared to his previous ones (Buffalo/Atlanta).   We need to see him play more games and if he is this consistent, the organization should consider giving him the “C” (I doubt they would though because that would just be disrespectful towards Phaneuf and cause a whole debate in this city).  I can see MacArthur leading the Leafs in the near future.   I just hope Burke makes a wise decision before MacArthur becomes a free agent this summer and re-sign him.