The New York Rangers’ upper management has announced who will be leading the 2018-19 rebuilding iteration of the franchise.
Last year the Rangers traded away their captain Ryan McDonagh to Tampa Bay in a massive deal. In addition, the team dealt one of their alternate captains, Rick Nash, to the Boston Bruins.
After speculation of who would be getting the honor, the team has announced the new leaders who they hope can help mold their young guns into mature, well-rounded NHLers, as well as lead by example.
#NYR will have five alternate Captains this season!
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 3, 2018
Chris Kreider
Jesper Fast@MikaZibanejad @zuccarello36
Marc Staal pic.twitter.com/9O969E3u6v
As it stands, the team will go down the post-2014 trade deadline route and choose not to have a captain, but rather a litany of alternates. The move makes sense for a rebuilding team and is a bit of a reminder that just eight months ago this team threw up their hands and fully committed to starting over.
#Rangers coach David Quinn said Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello will be alternate captains for home games and Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast will wear the "A'' for road games this season. D Marc Staal will be an alternate captain for all 82 games.
— Colin Stephenson (@ColinSNewsday) October 3, 2018
Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello are the only returning players who wore letters full time for the Blueshirts last year while Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast and Mika Zibanejad will step into a new role.
It’s always possible this team announces a captain mid-season, but with how fresh this rebuild is it’s more likely that management wants to put a bigger dent in this rebuild and see if a captain emerges as the right fit for this new look Rangers.
Wearing an “A” or a “C” does not guarantee you’re safe on this team, but as it stands the team will rely on these five to be leaders on and off the ice, and establish a winning culture for the kids getting a taste in the pros.
The Rangers are a team that is looking for its young players to take the reigns and truly make the transition towards the future. The league at large is trending towards the younger end of the spectrum and the young players serving as captains and alternates are representative of that.
Up in Edmonton, Conor McDavid is captain of the Oilers, Jack Eichel is the Sabres captain in Buffalo.
If one of New York’s talented young prospects makes a significant impact this year, it’s feasible that they could get a letter as soon as next year. The leader in the clubhouse for next Ranger captain is still probably Lias Andersson based on his international and developmental play.
Part of rebuilding is identifying leaders for the future. Especially in the hockey world where intangibles like leadership and heart are so tethered to the league’s best players.