Report: Have the Leafs found their new captain?

When the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they’d play another season without an official team captain, it raised some eyebrows across the league. Superstar Auston Matthews was expected by many fans and analysts to wear the “C” this season and for the indefinite future in Toronto, but the team’s management and coaching staff don’t want to rush the decision.

While Matthews may ultimately end up as the team’s unquestioned leader at some point, one Leafs insider Kevin McGran makes his case for who he feels should be the team’s next captain and it’s not Matthews. 

McGran argues that defenceman Morgan Rielly has already stepped into the role as team captain, whether he sports the “C” on his chest or not. According the McGran:

Rielly has developed into a fine presence in front of microphones and cameras. Not afraid to give and take when appropriate, to call a questioner out on a weird or poorly phrased query. Not afraid to show a bit of personality, a bit of a sense of humour, which is all too rare these days. He speaks his mind, in an honest, thoughtful fashion.

While Rielly certainly is a candidate for the job along with Matthews, what about veteran players like Leo Komarov, Tyler Bozak or Nazem Kadri? What’s your call on who should be the next captain in Toronto?