We Don’t Need A Captain Right Now.
By Frank Rekas
With the trading away of Bryan McCabe to the New York Rangers the Florida Panthers currently are without a captain. It speaks volumes when a team trades one away, but in this case it was clearly about salary savings and nothing else. Because of the recent housecleaning, it’s official and you can read it right here, we aren’t going to the playoffs. Fine, I said it…. you read it….now let’s move on to my thought.
First let me say that I believe that every team should have a captain. A player that can be a leader, a spokesperson in the dressing room, on the bench, and on the ice. A a guy that is willing to police the troops when they’re out gallivanting around town. (That was for you Mom). I never believed that a team should go an entire season with three A’s. It makes no sense. There has to be someone that can wear the “C” right?
There’s 18 games left in the season for the Florida Panthers. I will emphatically say that there is no need to name a captain at this point in the season. It won’t serve any purpose. Keep three A’s and finish the year as is. The message to the boys should be, you’re all auditioning for jobs. You wanna chance to play here next season, prove it on the ice. The balance of the year should be about that only, as well as winning games. Keep reading for my reasons after the jump.
The reasons I don’t think we need a captain are as follows.
* If the player chosen is traded away, or not resigned if he’s a UFA, we go through the process again.
* Peter DeBoer is the current coach. His contract runs out at the end of the season. If a new coach is brought in, he probably wants the ability to name his own captain. There’s no guarantee that the current one would continue to wear the C. That gets messy.
* With many quality veteran players available as free agents, Jason Arnott, Jaime Langenbrunner, and Eric Brewer to name a few, one of those guys certainly qualifies as captain material. Among some others.
* Because you’ve been here for a few years doesn’t mean it should be you.
* There’s no need to worry about the direction of the team for the balance of it without one. It’s not as though we are at a critical point and need that extra push. Players should be playing for pride right now. You don’t need a captain for that. If you do, then the problems we have are even bigger than we thought.
A captain is a leader. A true down to the bone player that can display the ability to not only rally the troups with his verbal messages, but can also put the team on his back and say “c’mon boys, follow me. I will take us to the top”. A player that gives 110% each and every shift, and every game. And leaves it all on the ice at the end.
Examples of players in my mind that have displayed that ability who are captains? Jonathan Toews (a perfect example), Sidney Crosby (damn I just typed that?), Jarome Iginla, Eric Staal, and Chris Pronger to name a few.
Ask yourself right now and please be honest. Do we have a player to fill this position on the roster right now that screams captain at you? Many people feel the need to name someone and have tossed around a name or two.
I don’t it’s necessary now. It’s not a slap in the face or meant to be disrespectful either.
However if you think one needs to be named, I’d like you to tell us who, and why.
Thanks for reading. We welcome your comments and your rants.
Please visit our NHL main page: Too Many Men On The Site.
Follow the Rat pack onTwitter: me @TheRatTrick David Lasseter @davidlasseter and Josh Luecht @joshluecht. Also, please join our Facebook Fan Page and hit the like button, send us photos, and make some comments.
Want The Rat Trick on your Iphone, Android or Blackberry? Download the application now on your smartphone and get the best in Florida Panthers coverage.