Oh Captain, My Captain!

[ihabs1993]

This summer, a lot has been said about captains and the vacant spots around the league. Currently, there are 7 captain's vacancies around the league, including mostly rebuilding teams, but a few contenders as well.

 

Buffalo Sabres:

It's almost been established that Buffalo has been picked to finish dead last in the league once again, which is no surprise given the lack of depth and experience on their roster. One thing Buffalo has had issues with in the past is their leadership positions. In 2007-08, the Sabres had a core of rotating captains that included Hecht, Campbell, Lydman, Spacek and Pominville. The Sabres did not qualify for the playoffs that year, becoming the third team in NHL history to fall from 1st place in the previous season to the outside of the playoff picture. With a few seasons of normalcy in the leadership department, the Sabres had the "imaginative" idea of having two captains; one for the home games, and one for the away games...... (Why?)........ Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott shared the duties for the team, although neither player would finish the year with the Sabres.

 

Captain this year: Maybe. If there is going to be a captain, I'd expect it to be Drew Stafford, as he's the only remaining "A" from last year. Don't be surprised to hear Brian Gionta or Josh Gorges announced as team captain, as Gionta has leadership experience and Gorges was set to be Gionta's replacement in Montreal before he was traded. Out of the two, I'd tend to think Gionta, partly because he's a hometown boy, originally from Rochester.

 

Columbus Blue Jackets

Playing last year with a rotating core of serviceable captains, The Blue Jackets made the playoffs and became one of those pesky Eastern Conference teams that just won't go away. Winning the first playoff game in franchise history and pushing the Penguins to an uncomfortable point in their first round series. Since the departure of Rick Nash after the 2012 season, the Jackets have gone without a captain. If they’re looking to take the next step as a conference contender, I think they’ll need a captain to lead their mostly young squad.

 

Captain this year: Again, this is a maybe. The Jackets have been content without a captain and I think they have every reason to be. They have gotten better every year since Nash left (Oh damn) registering 93 points last season. If the Jackets were to name a captain, there are three candidates in my opinion. Fierce competitor Brandon Dubinsky, who has been an incredible force for the Jackets since he came over, Jack Johnson, the steady all-star blueliner, or James Wisniewski- Power play specialist. Either way, captain or not, I expect the Jackets to contend for a spot in the playoffs.

 

Florida Panthers

First off, what Dale Tallon has done to create a hockey culture in Sunrise Florida is unbelievable. This team is going to surprise some people this year. On to the leadership situation, it would appear that the Panthers have only a few good vets on the team, with Jovanovski leading the team last season and was not offered a contract renewal. With the team being near the basement last year and winning the first overall draft pick that claimed Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers added some depth free agents in the offseason and added to their young core. Look for a big step forward for the Panthers this season

 

Captain this year: Most likely. They have had one just about every year they’ve been in the league. The big question is youth or experience. If it’s a youth movement for the Panthers’ leadership, I’d say look no further than Jonathan Huberdeau. He’s dynamic and has played in Florida for a few years now, giving him a slight advantage over anyone else. Another younger option would be Dmitry Kulikov who is a smart defender who can play both sides of the puck. On the mature end of the spectrum, you have Brian Campbell, who knows what it takes to get to the playoffs and perform well in a series, and Scottie Upshall, who has really enjoyed his time as a Panther and would be an excellent choice for leader.

 

Montreal Canadiens

Ok, unpopular opinion alert…. I actually like what Montreal has decided to do this season. Hear me out on this one. The Canadiens proved last season that they are good enough to make very deep pushes into the playoffs. With a great nucleus of young players and several key veterans, this idea seems like a no brainer. Take your best two young players in Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban and pair them with two of the best natural leaders on the team in Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec. The vets will teach the younger guys how to lead, when to lead and what it’s like to lead in this city. And teams have been able to be great without captains. Who beat the Habs in the playoffs this season? The captain-less New York Rangers. Who went to the Eastern Conference finals in 2010 to face the Philadelphia Flyers? The captain-less Montreal Canadiens.

 

Captain NEXT year: There will be a captain next year. With Markov done in three years from now and Plekanec’s time running out, I think the race is down to Subban and Pacioretty. If Price could wear the “C” he would have it already, so he’s out of the question. It’s a close race between Pacioretty and Subban, but if it were up to me, P.K. earns the “C” due to his ability to shake things off and thrive under pressure (EX: Racism in Boston)

 

New York Rangers

The Blueshirts will be looking to name their 27^th captain in franchise history after their first Stanley Cup Final birth in 20 years. The Rangers had an impressive season with and without their captain, Ryan Callahan. With a good mix of small and large forwards, the Rangers aim to go as deep into the playoffs and convert their defeat into success. Without a leader in the playoffs, the Blueshirts looked to Brad Richards as the “de-facto” captain while feeding off of Marty St. Louis’ inspirational determination (I still get goosebumps thinking about Marty scoring in dramatic fashion on Mother’s Day). Unfortunately, that rush can’t last forever, and if leadership matters that much to this team, they have a spot to fill.

 

Captain this year: It’s basically set in stone that McDonagh will be named the team’s captain in light of his spectacular playoff that capped off a break-out season for the young blueliner. Other options include Marc Staal and Dan Girardi who each wore the “A” along with Richards after the Callahan trade. This team relies heavily on their defense to keep games close and the same can be said about their leadership qualities.

 

Ottawa Senators

What a mess. One year after being those pesky Sens that dispatched of the Habs rather quickly, Ottawa took a huge step backward. Failing to make the playoffs in embarrassing fashion and trading longtime whipping boy Jason Spezza to the Stars for a low return highlighted a poor effort by all involved in Ottawa. In dire need of a victory, the Sens led the Habs 4-1 with only minutes to go in the third period, and they blew the lead in dramatic fashion, finishing their hopes at a post season. Alfredsson’s departure left a huge gap in leadership that no one on that roster could fill immediately, and I don’t think the Sens will ever fill Alfie’s void. To avoid the same result this season, the Sens will need a better all-around effort and some help from management.

 

Captain this year: Probably not. While Karlsson is an easy choice for captain, I don’t think the Sens want to repeat their Spezza blunder again. Karlsson has yet to be put under a microscope in his career so I think time would help the Sens and Karlsson best. Michalek and Ryan are good choices, but I don’t think risking that sort of pressure is worth the little return you might get. No captain for the Sens

 

San Jose Sharks

After a regular season of great promise, the Sharks choked in the playoffs. Not just any sort of choke. A historic choke. A catastrophic choke. So bad, the captaincy was stripped from Jumbo Joe Thornton and the “A” was taken off of Marleau’s sweater. It can’t all be their fault right? I mean the captaincy switched sweaters before this season, going from Marleau to Thornton, and it worked all season long. At any rate, I don’t think the Sharks are doing their stars any favors in the morale department by doing this every season. If I were Joe or Pat, I’m asking out of San Jose. Then the Sharks will be in the same boat that the Senators were in this year.

 

Captain this year: It would be a toxic decision for the Sharks. And if I’m Pavelski or Couture, why on Earth would I accept the captaincy? It’s been nothing but a scapegoat for a team that seems to over achieve with a sub-par goaltender. If the Sharks name a captain, I’d be very very surprised. I’ve been wrong before though….

 

What do you think?

Accurate? Way off? Comments?

Thanks for the read!

Ian

Ihabs1993

[yave1964]

@ihabs1993

Nice read!

My two cents is strictly about the Jackets, I would go Jack Johnson in a heartbeat. After the Jeff Carter fiasco a few years ago, he came over from the Kings and actually WANTED to be in Columbus, a breath of fresh air. He plays hard every night, says the right things, the writers in town love him, he apparently is very accessible to the press, his quotes are in more artices than any other player. My daughter s a huge Dubinsky fan and would disagree, but it has to be Johnson.

[yave1964]

Oh and one more, Gionta should be a lock in Buffalo. Stafford is a joke of a player, he is a terrible player with no idea how to do anything except shoot and that he doe badly. Gionta in spite of glaring deficiencies does his best to make up for them with heart and grit. The team is going nowhere, might as well let the kids have a leader who leads by example.

[ihabs1993]

Oh and one more, Gionta should be a lock in Buffalo. Stafford is a joke of a player, he is a terrible player with no idea how to do anything except shoot and that he doe badly. Gionta in spite of glaring deficiencies does his best to make up for them with heart and grit. The team is going nowhere, might as well let the kids have a leader who leads by example.

 

 

@ihabs1993

Nice read!

My two cents is strictly about the Jackets, I would go Jack Johnson in a heartbeat. After the Jeff Carter fiasco a few years ago, he came over from the Kings and actually WANTED to be in Columbus, a breath of fresh air. He plays hard every night, says the right things, the writers in town love him, he apparently is very accessible to the press, his quotes are in more artices than any other player. My daughter s a huge Dubinsky fan and would disagree, but it has to be Johnson.

Thanks for the read! I like Johnson in Columbus as well! Really no bad picks in that locker room. I'm a huge fan of where that team is headed and Johnson is captain material. I would love to see Gionta lead the Sabres through their rebuild. He's on a 3 year deal and would most likely not make the playoffs again, but he's had his fare share of glory in his New Jersey days. Stafford was merely a franchise pick. He has been brought up by the Sabres and he's almost the last thing they have to hold on to from their recent successes. I wouldn't sleep on Tyler Myers to captain the team either. He's had some set backs but I think those set backs will make him a better player.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  I've been thinking that Josh Georges would make a perfect captain for the young Sabres. He plays a nice simple hard nosed game. Lot's of courage, tenacity, leadership all excellent qualities that you want in your captain. Obviously brand new to the team, but scanning the Sabres roster, I don't see anyone from last years debacle of a team as leadership material. It should be Georges, or as you mentioned Giointa, either one would make a fine captain.

[hf101]

Enjoyed the blog Ian.  It seems like this year there are more captaincies up for grabs than in years past.  A lack of leadership in the NHL compared to years past?

 

On Montreal - The Wild went captainless for 9 years and didn't win anything.  I think it says something to your team when management decides it doesn't have one definite leader in the group before the season starts.  Before blurting out that there will be no captain this season why not wait until training camp?  Or better yet why not let the teammates vote who they would like to have represent them to management.  IMO they should have made Plekanec captain. Give Markov an A, and continue the switch with A's between Max and Subban for home and away games.

 

On Buffalo - I think Gionta will wear the C.  He is local as from Rochester and he has had previous experience as Captain of the Canadiens.  

 

On Columbus - Dubinsky without a blink of the eye. Hasn't Richards learned yet that captainless teams rarely win championships?

 

On Florida - I believe the captain will be Willie Mitchell a two time cup winner with the Kings.  Look for the Panthers to be fighting for a playoff spot this year!

 

On N Y Rangers - McDonagh agree, no other option.

 

On Ottawa - This is a toss up imo between Karlsson and Phillips.  Currently on the Sens website Phillips and Neil are listed as "A"s.  I think the popular decision will be to name Karlsson captain as he is the face of the franchise.

 

On San Jose -  This one is tough, I think they should rename Big Joe Captain and give little joe Pavelski, and Couture the A's.

[hf101]

[ihabs1993]

Enjoyed the blog Ian.  It seems like this year there are more captaincies up for grabs than in years past.  A lack of leadership in the NHL compared to years past?

 

On Montreal - The Wild went captainless for 9 years and didn't win anything.  I think it says something to your team when management decides it doesn't have one definite leader in the group before the season starts.  Before blurting out that there will be no captain this season why not wait until training camp?  Or better yet why not let the teammates vote who they would like to have represent them to management.  IMO they should have made Plekanec captain. Give Markov an A, and continue the switch with A's between Max and Subban for home and away games.

 

On Buffalo - I think Gionta will wear the C.  He is local as from Rochester and he has had previous experience as Captain of the Canadiens.  

 

On Columbus - Dubinsky without a blink of the eye. Hasn't Richards learned yet that captainless teams rarely win championships?

 

On Florida - I believe the captain will be Willie Mitchell a two time cup winner with the Kings.  Look for the Panthers to be fighting for a playoff spot this year!

 

On N Y Rangers - McDonagh agree, no other option.

 

On Ottawa - This is a toss up imo between Karlsson and Phillips.  Currently on the Sens website Phillips and Neil are listed as "A"s.  I think the popular decision will be to name Karlsson captain as he is the face of the franchise.

 

On San Jose -  This one is tough, I think they should rename Big Joe Captain and give little joe Pavelski, and Couture the A's.

 

 

teams without captains.gif

Thanks for the read! Not only is it rare that a team without a captain wins the cup, I don't think it's ever happened. The Rangers were close this year, but I don't think they lost because they were captain-less. The Kings were and still are a better team. With that being said, I don't think it happens any time soon. The closest team to winning the cup without a captain is Montreal and I don't think they're quite there yet. VERY CLOSE, but not quite.

I would be surprised if the Sharks named any captain, let alone give it to Jumbo Joe again. Nothing against Thornton! He's the poster child for how hockey is played in the Western Conference. I just think management always looks to a scapegoat in Shark Tank and it could ruin a player's reputation

[jammer2]

teams without captains.gif

 

 Nice find 101....there is certainly enough proof there that teams without captains do not succeed very often. After reading that mess, I would say it's very important to name a captain. Calling a captain-less team a rudderless ship sounds a bit over dramatic, but the stats are right there for the reading!

[hf101]

 Nice find 101....there is certainly enough proof there that teams without captains do not succeed very often. After reading that mess, I would say it's very important to name a captain. Calling a captain-less team a rudderless ship sounds a bit over dramatic, but the stats are right there for the reading!

 

Especially when you compare the captainless teams to the ones in this pic.  

 

[J0e Th0rnton]

Thanks for the read! Not only is it rare that a team without a captain wins the cup, I don't think it's ever happened. The Rangers were close this year, but I don't think they lost because they were captain-less. The Kings were and still are a better team. With that being said, I don't think it happens any time soon. The closest team to winning the cup without a captain is Montreal and I don't think they're quite there yet. VERY CLOSE, but not quite.

I would be surprised if the Sharks named any captain, let alone give it to Jumbo Joe again. Nothing against Thornton! He's the poster child for how hockey is played in the Western Conference. I just think management always looks to a scapegoat in Shark Tank and it could ruin a player's reputation

I love that Thornton has been vocal these past few days. Efff Doug Wilson.

Vlasic stood behind him and Marleau had a few cheecky quotes as well

[ihabs1993]

I love that Thornton has been vocal these past few days. Efff Doug Wilson.

Vlasic stood behind him and Marleau had a few cheecky quotes as well

That's the attitude the Sharks players need to have right now. At this point, the failure is in the hands of the front office. They've done nothing but blame the players and put more faith in their coach. This team has an incredible group of versatile players that could succeed if the front office will let them.

[J0e Th0rnton]

@ihabs1993

 

I am posting an article in the Sharks section you may enjoy