The Toronto Maple Leafs dealt Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday. The Leafs are trying to change the culture this offseason, and as a result they foresee change with the voices in the dressing room. In addition to the Kessel trade, there are increasing rumors about the Maple Leafs cutting ties with their captain Dion Phaneuf. If that trade does transpire and Phaneuf is elsewhere this fall, the questions will continue for this hockey club that has not won a Stanley Cup in 48 years. The biggest question will be who steps into the captain role?

The truth of the matter is that in the dressing room, no one knows exactly what influence Phaneuf had. He may have encouraged everyone or may have been the worst guy ever to don the ‘C’.

On the morning of July 2, a significant change happened with Kessel being traded. If changes continue and Phaneuf’s found with another organization, the player who should be anointed the ‘C’ is someone who has experience as a veteran and someone the youngsters can look up to.

If all of the veterans are traded, there will be no one to lead this roster of youngsters. The team does not need a player to face the media and deal with the pressures of difficult questions that will commence the week that the team goes on an extensive losing streak. The lengthy losing streak will happen. It is inevitable! It is just a question of when, not if.

The franchise has begun their rebuild and stripping the roster down to the roots, with the hope of building this team right back up to respectability once again. It will be long, hard and probably very emotional and painful for the fans as well as the players.

Brendan Shanahan, Mark Hunter and Kyle Dubas need to do the smart thing. If they decide to trade captain Phaneuf, the team should head into next season with no anointed captain and use the entire season as a building block to see who handles the qualities needed to be the team’s next captain.