Matt Stajan Wearing The C? I’m Not So Sure
March 24th, 2008 by SteveOk, as much as I hate to piggy back on topics tossed out by Cox, I can’t ignore this thread.
I wrote a posting a couple of days ago that suggested Matt Stajan MIGHT finally be developing into a decent NHL player. Damien Cox is a bit beyond me in his hyperbole when he suggests Matt Stajan as a future Leafs Captain. Really? I’m not sure if you are all aware of the history of the Leafs Captaincy, but I don’t know if I see Stajan filling these shoes just yet:
‘97 - Present: Mats Sundin (1st overall NHL draft pick; Highest scoring Leaf of all time in goals and points; highest scoring Swede of all-time; 2nd player in NHL history [Marcel Dionne] to record 16 consecutive 20 goal seasons to start a career; longest serving European captain in NHL history; ONLY player in NHL history to score 70 points in 15 consecutive seasons, 9 time NHL All-Star)
94 - 97: Doug “Killer” Gilmour (Most points [127] in a Leaf season; Most assists [95] in a Leaf season; Selke Trophy winner ‘92-’93; 2 time NHL All-Star)
91 - 94: Wendel Clark, aka “Captain Crunch” (1st overall NHL draft pick; 4 seasons with 30+ goals; 1690 career PIMs; 37 career playoff goals)
89 - 91: Rob Ramage (1st overall NHL draft pick; 2 time Stanley Cup Champion [Calgary & Montreal])
82 - 86: Rick Vaive (5th overall draft pick; 7 seasons with 30+ goals; 3 50+ goal seasons)
75 - 79, 80 - 82: Daryl Sittler (2nd all time in Leaf career points and goals; 2 100+ point seasons; 8 30+ goal seasons)
69 - 75: Dave Keon (Calder Trophy Winner; 2 time Lady Byng Trophy Winner; Conn Smythe Trophy Winner; 8 time All-Star; HHoF inductee)
57 - 69: George “Chief” Armstrong (Longest tenured Leaf Captain; last Captain to win a Stanley Cup; Led Leafs to 4 Stanley Cup Championships)
Prior to that the Leafs were pretty decent, but that’s a pretty amazing stretch of Captains… despite the fact we haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
I’m not sure Matt Stajan deserves to be in the same echelon just because he answers a few questions when the team isn’t doing well, and he’s scored a couple of game winners in the past week or two.
Considering how Cox likes to denounce Leaf Nation as being full of myopic morons that base decisions on a few small samples (i.e. the past 3 games), I think he just put himself in the boat right along with the rest of the people he likes to look down on.
Matt Stajan MIGHT make a good captain, but he needs some seasoning before I’m going to pronounce him capable. Of the players listed above, only Ramage didn’t really distinguish himself while wearing the C, and he had a solid enough career outside of his time on the Leafs that I wouldn’t call his selection out of line.
If anything, the idea that Stajan is being touted as a potential captain at this point in his career speaks volumes about how horribly undermanned this squad is. File these thoughts under pessimistic, but I don’t know if the Leafs are going to win anything serious if we’re being led by a player who chips in 30 points, and kills off a few penalties. If Stajan starts to produce more offensively, or perhaps leads one of the best PK’s in the NHL, I can see it, but considering the Leafs have had the WORST PK IN THE NHL SINCE THE ALL-STAR BREAK, I’m not handing him the keys to the city yet.
Posted in Prospects
9 Responses to “Matt Stajan Wearing The C? I’m Not So Sure”
By Sean
on Mar 24, 2008
Nice post Steve.
I just wrote a post on my site about the column. Basically this is an old Damien Cox trick — write something that seems postive on the surface, but tack on a suggestion that he knows the Leafs have no intention of ever acting on.
Now if Stajan continues to shine, he can say “I told you so”. And if he falls back to earth, Cox can point to how the Leafs wasted an opportunity to elevate him, proving they can’t make the sort of tough management decisions he says they need.
By Steve
on Mar 24, 2008
I also think part of it is building up future targets so he can tear them down when they don’t live up to his oh so lofty expectations.
I can already picture a posting of his in a few years that reads like this:
“Remember that time I thought Matt Stajan was Captain material? Well he’s ruined what was looking like a wonderful career by sticking with the Leafs… how dumb of him to stay in Leaf land where they never recognized his potential, never gave him good enough line mates… yadda yadda yadda…”
We’ll probably get some more shockingly positive writing about Alex Steen and Alexei Ponikarovsky in the next week or two if they continue to win games… followed by something disparaging when they don’t win the Stanley Cup after barely making the playoffs and running on fumes for over a month.
Basically the guy is a bit of a jerk who manipulates his audience perfectly. Think of Toronto as his violin… Steve Simmons is playing the tuba in the background. Lovable band geek nerds… finally sticking it to the guys who play hockey!
By Marco
on Mar 25, 2008
lol its easy to pick apart the articles of Simmons and Cox. I will say this, there is no one else worthy of the C once Sundin leaves.
McCabe…fans hate.
Kaberle…not vocal enough
Tucker…psycho…bad rep with refs.
I can see some positive Steen articles (for once) coming, but Poni? Anyone who actually watches him knows he’s nothing. No hockey IQ and very soft for such a big guy.
By Brent
on Mar 25, 2008
Personally, I agree with Cox whole-heartedly and have been saying so since long before Cox brought it up.
Stajan is the only leaf forward with any sense of responsibility in his own zone (that statement includes Sundin) and is the hardest working Leaf every night (that’s not tough to do, but still worth noting). He’s almost never out of position, and while he may lack NHL superstar talent, he’s always making smart decisions and at least trying to do the right thing. He never makes a dumb play.
That description reminds me a lot of one of the captains on your list. George Armstrong, the captain who led the Leafs to their last 4 cups. Armstrong was not a talented hockey player. He was a career 3rd liner, and one of the worst skaters in his day - but he was tough as nails, worked his butt off every shift, and was smart. Oh, and an excellent leader. The captain isn’t your best player, its your best leader - and I think Stajan is the best leader Toronto has on that team.
Howard Berger in his blog on hockeybuzz argued quite effectively that the Leafs are a better team WITHOUT Sundin, because the younger guys step up.
I think even if Sundin comes back next year, its time to give the “C” to Stajan. I think if you were to give him the room, he’d have those troops rallied almost every night, and we wouldn’t see the “Sundin syndrome” of the rest of the Leafs waiting for him to make something happen.
By Steve
on Mar 25, 2008
Even if you agree with Damien Cox (which is a tad scary), Armstrong wasn’t made captain of the Leafs until his 7th season in the NHL, on an EXTREMELY young Leafs team. Sid Smith was the only player over the age of 30, and he only played 12 games the year Armstrong was named to wear the C.
Armstrong and Horton were the leaders of the team at that point, both 27 years old, and both entering their prime. The other thing to note is, the Leafs finished last in the league that year and nobody on the team scored over 50 points. Mahovolich, Duff, and Pulford were all just getting started, Baun was only 20 years old… picking Armstrong was part of a youth movement on a team that had very few options.
Not to disparage Armstrong but he was replacing Ted Kennedy who had just retired 2 years after winning the Hart trophy as the league MVP. Armstrong led the Leafs in scoring the season before he was named the captain, and he was 2nd on the team in scoring 2 seasons before that. He was one of their offensive leaders at the time of his selection, whether or not you think it relevant is beside the point.
Career 3rd liners rarely lead their team in scoring unless their team is really bad, but to consider the man “not a talented hockey player” is a bit of a stretch. He led an original 6 franchise in scoring. He couldn’t have played at that level if he wasn’t talented. Frankly at the time he was named captain he WAS the Leafs best player.
I will grant you that Armstrong was a fantastic Leaf captain, I just think it’s amazingly early to be feting Matt Stajan with similar accolades and approval. He’s displayed some leadership qualities, and I agree a Captain doesn’t necessarily have to be the team’s best player, I just don’t think he’s done enough at this point. Certainly you would concede that in terms of this Leafs team he is on the younger end, and he is far from being one of their top offensive threats.
When I think of a team Captain, he has to be one of the players I want on the ice in the closing seconds when we need a goal to tie the game. I’m not sure I’d put Stajan out in that situation.
A Captain of the ilk you’re suggesting would be Dale Hunter who captained the Washington Capitals for a number of years. Though you might remember him purely as a tough guy leader, he had a few years where he put up 78 and 79 points in roughly 80 games. He produced offensively at a higher rate than Stajan has thus far.
Give him some more key situational ice time and see how he does… at least give him an A before you give him the C. That’s all I’m suggesting is necessary.
By Steve
on Mar 25, 2008
Ponikarovsky lacks hockey sense? I’m not sure I’m watching the same player as you Marco. The guy has been a plus player every year he’s been in the NHL (+7 right now). He’s sound defensively, he scores you 20-25 goals. He does forecheck and go to the net on occasion, and he’s still on the early end of his career. I doubt he’ll ever score 40 goals, but he isn’t “nothing”.
And whether or not you accept it, he’s the one that’s been putting up points alongside Steen on the current run of good play by the Leafs, at almost a point per game pace to boot.
By edward niteo
on Apr 2, 2008
i think he has what it takes to be the leafs captain. I for one can’t wait to see the transition from Mats to Matt