Blue Line Station
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4 players who could be next captain of the New York Rangers

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 25: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden on March 25, 2019 in New York City. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 5-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 03: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers looks on against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on April 3, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 03: Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers looks on against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on April 3, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

We are one month away from training camp following a whirlwind New York Rangers offseason that has absolutely flown by in the blink of an eye.

Sports very rarely stop now in the social media-driven era that we live in. There is always something going on, always something to discuss or dissect and that has been the same with the New York Rangers this summer.

Ever since the Blueshirts cleaned out their lockers following the conclusion of the 2018-19 NHL regular season, there have been talking points galore and we’ve hardly had chance to catch our breath. Before we know it opening night will be upon us and we will have a mouthwatering feast of hockey to digest, which is only a good thing of course.

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This has been a franchise-altering off-season for the Rangers who are now entering the final phase of this rebuild after making a plethora of aggressive moves. You know the story by now; Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin are all Blueshirts and they now represent the future of this storied franchise.

There have been other moves too as the Rangers found themselves in salary cap hell, with hometown boy Kevin Shattenkirk recently being bought out in order to create cap space for this year. With restricted free agents Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Lemieux still needing new deals, there could well be some other moves in the pipeline.

But there are other questions to be answered by the Blueshirts ahead of 2019-20, most notably if they are going to name a captain for next year. The Rangers haven’t had an official leader on the ice since Ryan McDonagh was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2018 Trade Deadline, which made sense given where this franchise was in terms of the rebuild.

However, with a return to the playoffs on the horizon, it would make sense for the Rangers to give a player the coveted “C” on their jersey sooner rather than later. They need a locker room leader, a glue guy to step forward now and lead this franchise into what we all hope will be a bright and success-laden future.

The Rangers aren’t the only team in the NHL without a captain currently, of course, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks also without an official leader on the ice.

So, who are the frontrunners to become the 29th captain of the New York Rangers in franchise history? We’ve gone through the options and picked out four players who boast all the credentials and qualities needed to wear the “C” on their chest…

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