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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Senators (optional) skated at Scotiabank Arena ahead of tonight’s regular- season opener. 

The wait is over. 

The Maple Leafs will name a captain tonight, three years, seven months and 23 days after Dion Phaneuf was traded to Ottawa. The identity of the new captain will be revealed in a pre-game ceremony ahead of the home opener.

“A few guys, I think, may have been briefed,” said a coy John Tavares. “I'm sure it will be really special for the fan base and, I think, our whole group. ​We all want to feed off it. Opening night and I think a great way to show to the city and show to the fans who it’s going to be.”

After weeks of questioning about the captaincy, the top candidates now know the answer and, frankly, seemed to enjoy having a secret from the media.

“Wouldn't you like to know?” Auston Matthews said after confirming he was in on the briefing. “All I got is you'll know tonight, so that's all I got for you.”

“You guys will find out tonight,” said Morgan Rielly, before breaking into a wide smile. “That's what I’ve been told to say.”

Per his custom, Rielly downplayed the captaincy chatter. 

“I think that's more important just for the fans,” the defenceman said. “I think it will be a lot of fun for those guys. For us, we're just focused on the game.”

Who would Leaf-turned-Senator Connor Brown pick? 

“That's a loaded question,” the winger said with a laugh. “Next.”

Tonight's announcement follows weeks of endless speculation, which picked up steam on the opening day of camp when president Brendan Shanahan told the Toronto Sun the team would indeed have a captain this season. The next day coach Mike Babcock said the captaincy issue would be resolved “sooner than later.” 

“We went through a process that's been going on for a long time,” Babcock explained. “We've been watching this guy; we didn't name a captain for a long time, because we didn't think it was obvious. And then, when we knew it was obvious, we – I mean, don't get me wrong, we've talked a ton about this. We talked to our players about it. We talked to our staff about it. We talked to our management team about it and, in the end, we made the right decision for the Leafs and we're excited about this opportunity.”

When Tavares was named captain of the Islanders it was announced at the team's golf tournament at the start of training camp. Tonight's ceremony will feel a lot different for whoever skates out wearing a 'C.'

“It's opening night,” said Tavares. “I don't know how you need any other pressure or anything else to get you going. This is what it’s all about, playing the game at its highest level in a tremendous hockey city with tremendous passion and it gets to be all for real.”

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But it won't be for real for Jason Spezza, the only other Leaf with experience serving as a captain in the NHL. The 36-year-old former Senator will be a healthy scratch against Ottawa, making this the first time he's missed his team's home opener. 

“What we did is we're just giving Spezz a little more time on the penalty kill,” Babcock explained. “So, because he wants to penalty kill for us, we need him to do that. So, he'll be in the next game. But this buys him more time, more reps. And he's been getting lots of reps and extra [work] on it. And we're trying to stay with that the best we can.​”

Nick Shore draws in on the fourth line tonight while Spezza, entering his 17th NHL season, will play Friday in Columbus. 

“He's the coach and he decides the lineup,” Spezza said. “I have to get to up to speed with what he wants. I need to get more reps on the PK to earn that comfort level with him ... It's more disappointing because it's the opener. You definitely want to be a part of these games. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but I'm also a professional and I'm going to get ready to go.”

Spezza was also scratched in Toronto's final preseason game featuring the NHL regulars. Is it challenging adapting to a more defensive role? 

“Well, I've done it for three preseason games so it's hard to really judge at this point. So I feel like it's something like, yeah, there are things to learn. I haven't killed a lot in the last few years.”

When did he learn he wouldn't be playing? 

“That's just between me and Babs so I'll let him answer questions about how the communication is going,” Spezza said.

“We're on the same page moving ahead,” Babcock insisted, “and we're going to have a rotation of a few guys this first little bit, until we figure out what we're doing. We've talked about it and that's what we're doing.”

TSN’s Kristen Shilton has more on the Spezza situation here.

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Scott Sabourin irritated the Leafs in their second preseason game back on Sept. 18, slew-footing Rielly and hitting Andreas Johnsson up high, leading to a fight with Ben Harpur. Later in the game Sabourin, who was at Senators camp on a pro tryout, went after Matthews with a couple cross-checks after the whistle, leading the superstar to make a show of peering around the 27-year-old in a mock attempt to read his name plate. 

Matthews and Sabourin laughed it off, but Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki didn't like it and aired his grievances yesterday in an interview with the Canadian Press. 

“I thought it was a little bit disrespectful, to be honest,” Borowiecki told Lisa Wallace. “We're not all blessed with Auston Matthews’ talent, unfortunately, but I truly wish I was. Some of us have to do it the hard way.” 

“I appreciate him standing up for me,” said Sabourin, “but, again, I mean, there's a lot worse that gets said out there. So, you know, hockey's a physical game as much as it's a mental battle so anything to get an edge out there.”

Sabourin, who earned a contract and will make his NHL debut tonight against the Leafs, wasn’t surprised the interaction with Matthews went viral. 

“Not really,” he said with a smile. “You guys seemed to be all over that stuff. So, I mean, it was what it was. If it was anyone else it probably would've been half the attention over it. It was something to get a good laugh about.”

Johnsson, meanwhile, wasn't laughing and accused Sabourin of having a lack of respect the day after the game. Did Sabourin feel like he rattled the Leafs a bit? 

“I think so,” he said. “I think, naturally, my game is going to provoke a bit of that and so if I'm getting under their skin I guess I'm doing my job.” 

Sabourin will have his immediate family in attendance tonight as he fulfills a lifelong dream. 

“I believed in myself since Day 1 of camp,” he said. “I showed up. I put my workbooks on and luckily it brought me to here.”

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Nikita Zaitsev is one of four former Maple Leafs returning to Toronto tonight. 

“I was walking on the streets yesterday and it was an unbelievable feeling so I'm happy to be back here,” the defenceman said. 

The Russian signed a seven-year extension after his first season with the Leafs, but requested a trade from Toronto just two years into the deal. 

“It's just a personal thing so I don't want to talk about that,” the 27-year-old said, “but it’s personal. It's not about the team; it's not about the players. I liked it here. I enjoyed everything, just a new chapter in my life.”

Despite constant praise from Babcock, there was some speculation that Zaitsev didn't care for the fishbowl feel in the centre of the hockey universe and was frustrated that the team's defence was constantly labelled a weak point. He rarely did media scrums in Toronto and wasn’t made available to the media when the Leafs visited Ottawa in the preseason. 

Did the media factor into his decision? 

“No, no, I love you guys,” he said with a grin. “I get used to it already, to the media and stuff, so I don’t even think about it. It’s more personal things like the family stuff that I don't want to talk [about]."

Zaitsev will play a top-four role with the Senators opening the season alongside rising star Thomas Chabot. That means he may see a lot of Matthews tonight. 

“You never know what he's going to do,” said Zaitsev. “It’s going to be tough, but I know some stuff that he likes to do so maybe it'll help me. We will see.”

Does Brown have any inside information that he can use against Matthews tonight? 

“Well, I'll be watching out for the toe drag,” Brown said with a laugh. “I don't want to get embarrassed.”

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Lines at Leafs morning skate: 

Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander

Kapanen - Tavares - Marner 

Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Moore 

Timashov - Shore - Gauthier

Spezza 

 

Muzzin - Barrie 

Rielly - Ceci 

Sandin - Marincin 

Holl - Liljegren 

 

Andersen starts 

Hutchinson 

 

Power-play units at Leafs morning skate: 

Rielly

Marner - Tavares - Matthews 

Johnsson 

 

Barrie 

Kerfoot - Moore - Nylander 

Kapanen

 

Projected Senators lineup: 

Tkachuk - White - Brown

Duclair - Tierney - Ryan

Ennis - Anisimov - Batherson

Chlapik - Pageau - Sabourin

 

Chabot - Zaitsev 

Brannstrom - Hainsey

Borowiecki - DeMelo

 

Anderson starts

Nilsson