Having bought out Chris Drury out
of the final season of his contract, the New York Rangers will have a new
captain next season; the 27th captain in the history of the franchise. Regardless of whether Drury was bought out or
not the expectation has been that the Rangers would change their captain for
the 2011-12 season anyway. The favorite
amongst the fans for months to be the next captain has been Ryan Callahan. It is possible that if not for the respect
Callahan and the coaching staff had for Chris Drury that Callahan might have
taken over the role during last season, so the expectation that he will be the
next captain is certainly understandable.
While I think Marc Staal is a darkhorse to get the ‘C’ we can go with
the expectation of Callahan and work on who else will have letters this season.
Alternate candidates:
Marc Staal: Only Staal and Callahan would fall into the lock to
have a letter on their sweater category.
Seeing as how he had an ‘A’ last season and played well in that role
there is no reason to expect he will not continue as one of the leaders of the
young core. I think he will get serious
consideration for the ‘C,’ but in the end have the ‘A’ on his #18 again this
season.
Brad Richards: Since the signing there has been discussion as to
whether his previous relationship with Tortorella and his championship
experience gives him a window into the top leadership role on the team. Richards does have experience wearing a letter
on his jersey with his time in Dallas, but to think he is going to walk into this
group and take over the ‘C’ is somewhat out there. He will definitely be a contender to wear an ‘A’
again, but that decision might come down to how much of a statement the Rangers
want to make as an organization in terms of the young core as the leadership
group.
Brandon Dubinsky: Possibly the most polarizing choice amongst the
fans in terms of whether he should or should not have a letter on his
sweater. Dubinsky is clearly the most
vocal of all the young players in the locker room in terms of saying what he
thinks publicly and while that is good for the media and fans to see it does
not truly fit with the style John Tortorella seems to prefer in his captain’s. Giving
Dubinsky an ‘A’ would certainly be a nod to his growth both on and off the ice
in terms of leadership in the room and on merit was earned last season.
Brandon Prust: Prust earned his spot on this
list with his willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team win on any
given night. He will fight, kill penalties,
forecheck and certainly sacrifice his body in the name of winning. The fact that he played through the injuries
he did last season and did not miss a single game is enough to warrant
consideration.
Dan Girardi: If you want to talk about
sacrificing your body to win, then you have to include Dan Girardi in any
discussion because of how he abuses his body blocking shots every night. In addition Girardi is a top pair defender
taking on the best offensive players the opposition has to offer with Marc
Staal. Girardi is also now the aged
veteran of the young defense corps and has tremendous admiration from the
coaching staff.
Brian Boyle: Boyle is a name that few talk
about in terms of the alternate captain spot, but his work ethic is something
that doesn’t go unnoticed or unrecognized by the coaching staff. Proof of that was him wearing an ‘A’ during
preseason last fall even before he had his breakout year. Yes, it was only a preseason game, but the
reason for the move was to reward the work he had put in and motivate the rest
of the team. Transforming himself from a
fringe NHL player to a key player in many situations for the Rangers last
season gives him a chance to be in the discussion for an ‘A’.
In the end the Rangers are likely to go with:
C- Callahan
A- Staal
A- Richards
Rick Carpinello of Rangers
Report Blog suggested a scenario in which the Rangers would have rotating
alternates for home and road games, which is the best solution as it allows
them to reward more players for their leadership. This team is very fortunate to have so many
players deserving of consideration for letters this season and rewarding more
of them will only keep the hunger of the rest of locker room and allow for the
organization to truly recognize the leadership group on this team.
What that might look like:
Home:
C- Callahan
A- Staal
A- Richards
Road:
C- Callahan
A- Dubinsky
A- Prust/Girardi
