New York Rangers: The next captain isn’t on the roster

The New York Rangers are a team that finished last season without a captain. Based on the expected roster out of camp, they likely will not have one again.

The very idea of a captain in the NHL is seemingly outdated concept. In theory, a captain is supposed to set the tone for the team around them and lead in their own particular style. Being that every captain is different, there is no exact science to leading a team. The New York Rangers have had a mix when it comes to their recent captains.

For as good of a player as Ryan McDonagh was with the Rangers, for whatever reason, the front office did not like his style of captaincy. It is apparent from the comments that the front office has given on background to New York Post reporter Larry Brooks. Multiple times Brooks described the front office as unsatisfied with McDonagh’s silent lead by example style.

Prior to McDonagh, the team had Ryan Callahan a true blood and guts captain. There was no mistake who the Rangers were as a team with Callahan wearing the captain’s “C” on his chest. The Rochester native was going to throw his body in the way of every shot he could and do everything feasible to help his team win.

The Rangers have a handful of candidates for the captaincy, but none of the three candidates would make sense to actually choose. These are the three obvious candidates that in theory make sense, but under scrutiny fall apart.