Captain Tavares? Seems unlikely

Hey Kevin. Why isn’t John Tavares in the conversation when talking about who’ll eventually wear the C? He’s a former (and successful) captain, an all-star. He’s been everything the Leafs wanted him to be when they got him … Auston Matthews is just 21 and has some maturing to do. Morgan Reilly’s a better option, in my mind, but Tavares is the obvious. What gives? — Steve K. I think Tavares is in the conversation, but I think what hurts him is that he is coming to the Leafs mid-career (not that it hurt Doug Gilmour). The preference with captain is homegrown. There’s something symbolic about that. Is Kyle Dubas, wheeler dealer, done for now? I’m thinking the team looks pretty good. The only thing that worries me is still a relatively hit or miss backup in goalie Garret Sparks. I mean, he’s pretty good on a schedule, but I worry that when Freddie Andersen was out for a while it coincided with a minislump for the Leafs. — John L. Sparks has a pretty decent record: 7-3-1, 2.83, .909 — backup numbers. But yes, I think Dubas would like to add another NHL-calibre goalie to round things out. Michael Hutchinson did well when he was here, but you never know. The Leafs can only add a player on about a $2-million U.S. contract, by the way. Is it just me or does Mike Babcock not seem to like Auston Matthews? — Wes F. I think it’s just you. Not to be dismissive here, but Babcock admires the talent in all his players and is effusive about his praise for Matthews and his family and upbringing. There’s no animosity from the coach toward the players. But he’s got high expectations for Matthews. Do the players like the coach? Different story. Do you see any use in the Leafs trying to get Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall? Could he not be had for cheap? I know the salary cap ($4.75M for Kronwall) would be an issue, but at least his contract expires this season. And Babcock knows him. — Justin P. Nope. The Leafs can only fit in a player with a salary of $2 million or less. If they go over, then bonuses paid to players like Marner and Matthews will be applied to next year’s cap. Next year’s cap is already tight. They don’t want that. Your colleague Dave Feschuk mentioned in his column regarding Matthews’ potential contract length that if you were to probe Matthews and Marner with the right questions you would discover that they both were a little upset that their contracts weren’t taken care of back in the summer. And to an extent, a little upset that the focus was more on Tavares and re-signing Nylander. Can you elaborate on that? Is there any kind of rift with the 2 Ms and Nylander? — Jeff S. There’s no rift among the players that I can see. They seem to love playing with and for each other. But their camps — families and agents? Yes. The Marner camp has been the more vocal about the level of respect that No. 16 gets. Will the Leafs get Connor McDavid in six years as a UFA, when apparently Matthews’ contract expires? — Mark H. Let’s start the rumours now. Read more on Kevin McGran’s Breakaway Blog at thestar.com. Send your hockey questions to askkevinmcgran@gmail.com. The Star reserves the right to edit for clarity, punctuation and space.