Why Artemi Panarin deserves to be the next New York Rangers’ captain

Potential captain: Chris Krieder

Chris Kreider is certainly more than deserving of the captaincy.  He fits the criteria for the position; loyalty, seniority, and skill.  After Henrik Lundqvist’s departure from the team during the offseason, Chris Kreider officially became the longest tenured New York Ranger.  Kreider debuted for the Rangers in 2012, and has seen almost all of the ups-and-downs that a professional sports franchise can endure.  Kreider was a crucial member of the 2014 Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers squad that was unfortunately eliminated in five games against the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.

He was also pivotal the following year when the Rangers won the President’s Trophy and took the Tampa Bay Lightning to seven games in the Eastern Conference Final, where the Rangers would ultimately come up short.  The only thing currently missing from Kreider’s resume is a Stanley Cup.

Kreider inked a seven-year, $45.5 million contract with the Rangers at the trade deadline last year, when he saw himself finish a very solid season with 45 points on 24 goals and 21 assists before he was unfortunately sidelined with a foot injury.

Fast forward to the 2020-21 season, and Kreider is experiencing a modest start to his campaign.  Kreider is currently tied for first on the team with five goals scored, and has racked up one assist, for a total of six points so far.  No one aside from head coach David Quinn has been more critical of the Rangers’ early struggles as Chris Kreider has.  On multiple occasions during post-game press conferences this year, Kreider has vented his frustrations to the media, stating that the team needs to “be better and we all know it.”  Kreider has also been quoted saying that the team is “listless and lifeless,” stating that it is “unacceptable.”

Perhaps nothing caught the attention of Rangers’ fans more than when Kreider took a shot at the idea of captaincy as a whole.  In a zoom call at the beginning of the season, Kreider was asked about his thoughts on the Rangers entering their third consecutive season without a captain.  Kreider responded by saying that it wasn’t a big deal, and that the captaincy is “more for the fan base than anyone else,” and instead suggesting that many leaders is better than just one.  Those comments may end up hurting Kreider’s chances at being named captain in the long run.  A leader who doesn’t seem to take the title seriously might not be the best candidate for the job.