As soon as he was hired as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes positioned himself with confidence on the subject of a squeaky file, especially when it comes to the Bleu-blanc-rouge: “the Habs will have a captain during the 2022-2023 campaign”, he said last January.
Would the decision of whether or not to appoint a captain have required more thought? Was it rushed and impulsive words? When it is time to analyze the meager bank of interesting candidates at the CH, the question arises.
Nearly six months later, who will have the daunting task of replacing Shea Weber, who many call captain par excellence?
For the public or for the team?
Attention. You should be careful. Better not to elect a captain than to label the wrong person. If the Sainte-Flanelle considers that it has the ideal candidate among its ranks; take it out Kodakprepare the press conference and we don’t talk regarding it anymore.
On the other hand, if the plan is to appoint Nick Suzuki in a year or two, when he will be more experienced, and in the meantime put in place a quartet of assistants made up of Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron, Joel Edmundson and Nick Suzuki , no one will lose their sleep.
A meager list
Nick Suzuki, Joel Edmundson, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson: these are the four players who are likely to see the famous “C” appear on their jersey. Do they have what it takes? Here is a brief analysis of the “postulants”.
Nick Suzuki; the number one candidate, but too soon
Nick Suzuki is and will be the face of the Montreal Canadiens for many seasons barring disaster. Although he has the attitude, class, calm, presence and many other qualities to represent the richness of the Habs organization as captain, we must not forget that the Ontarian is only 22 years old.
The center player will receive a salary of $7.875 million, usually conceded to elite players for the first time in his career, which will come with added pressure. Let’s see how he will deal with the growing expectations of him before adding to it with such an appointment.
It should be remembered that the youngest Blue-White-Red color bearer to have assumed this function was the Finn Saku Koivu, then 24 years old. Max Pacioretty was elected captain at the age of 26.
Joel Edmundson; the big Brother
The quintessential big brother. We hear only good things regarding veteran Joel Edmundson. Remember when he came to the defense of Joel Armia by throwing the gloves once morest Tyler Myers following a dubious check.
Joel Edmundson avenges Joel Armia –
His absence was felt last season and as soon as he returned to the game, Martin St-Louis’ squad gained in confidence. The giant-sized defenseman also had a taste of the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 in a group made up of “real leaders»including Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester, among others.
Where there would be an issue would be to temporarily appoint Edmundson in order to prepare, train Suzuki. If so, let them helpers, Nick can learn just as much from his sidekick and when the time comes for the foal to lead the team, he will be ready.
Otherwise, what if Joel Edmundson is captain and still in training in three, four or five years? The staff will take the letter from him to give it to his teammate. This is nonsense.
Brendan Gallagher; the warrior
Gally has been around for many seasons and is still an integral part of the heart and soul of the team. His involvement and his desire to win are contagious for all the troops. His hatred for defeat is part of his identity.
Brendan Gallagher leads by his actions on the ice by blocking shots, by bringing a touch of emotion, by creating sparks when necessary, in other words, by giving body and soul.
Photo credit: Martin Chevalier / JdeM
However, his relationship with officials might be described as ‘difficult’, a blemish on the number 11’s record, as the captain regularly has to bridge the gap between the players’ bench and the zebras.
Finally, it must be admitted that the opportunities were numerous for the Canadians to name the fiery winger as the leader of the team and the scenario never materialized. Even more, let’s be honest, without taking anything away from the athlete that he is, time seemed to catch up with the little warrior. If there was a time when he figured as an ideal candidate, that time is now over.
Josh Anderson; lead by example
One thing is certain, when power forward Josh Anderson plays up to his potential, that is, when he rushes to the net, finishes his checks, plays with fire and passion, there is no doubt that he can lead by example.
It’s hard not to board the boat when the captain is doing the dirty work. In just two seasons in Montreal, Anderson has clearly made his presence felt. Does he have the captain’s fiber in him? Only those who meet him on a daily basis can answer this question.
Note that there are certainly details and issues that only the Montreal staff has in hand. For example, a player might refuse this mandate. Not all individuals can cope with the pressure of a market like that of Canadians.
Perform without a captain
Not having a captain is not a sign of weakness. The Vegas Golden Knights battled for the Stanley Cup in their first season on the Bettman Tour without a visibly marked “C” point guard. The Nevada team even played its first three NHL campaigns without a captain and reached the playoffs each time.
This season, the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers were all without a captain. Of five teams, two of them were the spring dance, where the New Yorkers did very well by losing their flag in the Eastern Conference final once morest the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
Moreover, the “Blueshirts” lived through a situation similar to that which the Montreal Canadiens are currently experiencing; that it is presented as a reconstruction, a resetan upgrade or whatever.
The Rangers have gone through difficult times led by a certain Jeff Gorton, now a member of the management of the Habs, and this, without a captain during the last four campaigns.
