Filling The Vacant Captaincies Around The NHL

Not all NHL captains fit a similar mold.

There’s the Ethan Moreau-type captain, that being the third-line mentality, all-character, sandpaper-on-skates type player. Then we have pure skill captains like Ilya Kovalchuk, Sid the Kid, and Vinny Lecavalier.

In rare instances, teams even name their goaltender captain as a contract extension aid.

With Adam Foote recently named captain of the Avs, the “placeholder” captaincy appears to be the ideology of the moment in Colorado. However, six clubs are inching closer to the opening of the regular season with no captain currently in place, so we’ve gone ahead and named the soon-to-be captains ourselves.

Florida Panthers
Last captain: Olli Jokinen
Our Top Three Candidates: Keith Ballard, David Booth, Stephen Weiss

Our Pick For Captain: David Booth
The young left winger is arguably the Panthers’ top forward, breaking out last year with 31 goals. The 24-year-old Michigan native was perhaps Florida’s most pleasant surprise last season, and was rewarded as such, signing a 6-year deal worth 4.25 per season. Booth’s ascension is not simply a result of skill, as he is equally known for his dedication to fitness off the ice and commitment to hard work — a quality that looks good on any captain.

Minnesota Wild
Last Captain: Rotating
Our Top Three Candidates: Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat

Our Pick For Captain: Mikko Koivu
He led the offensive charge for the Wild last year as top-line centre, with stud winger Marian Gaborik playing only 17 games. Older brother Saku captained the Canadiens for 10 seasons, so you’d expect that tidbits of experience have been passed along to his kid brother to some degree. Mikko actually shared the captaincy in a rotation last year along with Andrew Brunnette, Marian Gaborik, and Kim Johnsson, so he is not unfamiliar to the role. New head coach Todd Richards has talked about moving towards an offense-first style, which should give the talented Koivu a chance to take further offensive strides.

Montreal Canadiens
Last Captain: Saku Koivu
Our Top Three Candidates: Scott Gomez, Roman Hamrlik, Maxim Lapierre

Our Pick For Captain: Maxim Lapierre
The demands of a captain are amplified in Montreal, and speaking only English makes the duty even more onerous on the team’s leader. Lapierre has a couple of things going for him already — he speaks french, and he is already well-liked by the fans and the organization. The captaincy may be better suited on a player who isn’t relied upon to shoulder the offense of his club.

New York Islanders
Last Captain: Bill Guerin
Our Top Three Candidates: Doug Weight, Mark Streit, Trent Hunter

Our Pick For Captain: None
The Islanders will belong to John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Josh Bailey before long, if they don’t already. Coach Scott Gordon could name a captain, but it would be another Bill Guerin-type scenario in which fans know that the captaincy will be short lived. For now, rotating A’s would be the best bet for Long Island.

San Jose Sharks
Last Captain: Patrick Marleau
Our Top Three Candidates: Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Our Pick For Captain: Dan Boyle
On a team that is thirsty for a Stanley Cup, but has experienced no luck winning one, Dan Boyle stands out. Boyle is one of three players on the Sharks roster who has hoisted the Cup (the others being Kent Huskins and Rob Blake), and he is the Sharks’ best defenseman. Boyle didn’t perform poorly in San Jose’s first round exit against the Ducks last year either. The trifecta of Heatley-Thornton-Marleau are being counted on to take the Sharks to the Cup this year, so the possible distraction of giving the captaincy to Marleau’s linemate could be a good thing to avoid.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Captain: Mats Sundin
Our Top Three Candidates: Luke Schenn, Matt Stajan, Mike Komisarek

Our Pick For Captain: None
As Brian Burke and Ron Wilson have said numerous times, the captaincy of the Leafs has historically been held in long tenures by top-flight players. Only Phil Kessel and Tomas Kaberle could be mentioned in that category as far as current Leafs go, and neither choice makes sense at this point. Kessel has not yet played a game for the Maple Leafs, and Tomas Kaberle shows little of the character a captain is supposed to exude (Plus, his English isn’t terrific). Most of Leafs Nation has already anointed Luke Schenn as the future leader of the club. He will likely be a staple of the defense for many years, and has already shown leadership qualities as a 19-year-old. All signs point to Schenn being named captain for the 2010-11 season.

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