Leafs have potential captains in spades

The leading contenders for Leafs captain have seemed to be Auston Matthews or John Tavares. The more I watch Morgan Reilly play and his demeanour, etc., the more I think he should be the captain. Thoughts? — Steve J. I agree, Rielly is captain material. I’ve written that in the past. But so is Tavares, and I’m warming up to Matthews as a leader. They have leadership riches. Do you think some players start to feel a bit of animosity toward a teammate that is a key part of the team who holds out for an extended period of time? You’d have to think there would be a few Leaf players quietly talking amongst themselves about how better they’d be if Nylander signed. Understandably, players are going to not go public with their thoughts if they feel this way but there must be a few guys discussing how this could be the year if Nylander signed. If he does end up sitting out the year, I could understand how a teammate could possibly be a little bitter towards him. — Todd C I’ve heard stories of team captains getting on the phone to the holdout to, shall we say, encourage his teammate to sign on the bottom line. I haven’t had it verified, and haven’t seen it in print, so I won’t name them. But I believe it. That said, I don’t think that’s the case with Nylander. His teammates love him, and in a way, he is taking one for the team — his friends — by testing GM Kyle Dubas. It’s a wake-up call for any young player in the room that this is a business. How about Nylander and “future considerations” (Gardiner after season ends) for Dougie Hamilton? Canes would have 1-2 months to sign Gardiner before he becomes a UFA. — Al M The Canes want to make the playoffs, so waiting on Gardiner wouldn’t make any sense to them. That said, Nylander for Hamilton seems an evenup trade to me. Don’t think that’s going to happen though. With all the speculation on which player coming back would be acceptable in a Nylander trade, what do you think of Colton Parayko as the much needed defenceman everyone thinks the Leafs need? Would you make that trade if St. Louis was a willing trade partner? — Dan W Sign me on the Parayko trade express. My question is about the oftinjured Matthews. Watching Tavares play day in and day out and seeing how physical he is has surprised me. I know Matthews is a different player than JT, but for a big guy, he seems to shy away from hitting the opposing players. When the playoffs come around and some of the rules sort of change with refs letting things go more, he has disappeared. And seeing him get hurt fairly easily several times has raised the following question in my mind: Is Auston Matthews brittle? — Timbo G My colleague, Damien Cox, floated the idea of trading Matthews. I hate the idea. He’s a franchise centre. They don’t come along that often and you need them. ... I don’t think Matthews is brittle. One thing I have heard as a criticism is that he’s not necessarily always aware of what’s around him. He needs to be more aware of his surroundings.