On Thursday, September 9th, New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury addressed the media to answer questions about the team moving forward. One of the main questions that Drury was asked was about the captainship.
The Rangers have not had a player don the C since the front office traded away their last captain, defenseman Ryan McDonagh, at the 2017-2018 trade deadline.
Drury stated regarding the captainship that “I think it’s an important piece for us moving forward to have a captain, but with that said, it has to be the right person.”
He also said “It has to be our decision, collectively as an organization, so we’ll continue to have discussions and look at our different options. I’m very confident in the guys we have in the room and the leadership we have and have added.”
Drury realizes how important having a captain is to a hockey team. He should know since he was captain of the Blueshirts from 2008-2011 and before that, with the Buffalo Sabres. It is imperative that he chooses a player that will lead the Rangers on and off the ice.
The teams that have won a Stanley Cup during the past decade like the the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals all had excellent captains who led by example on and off the ice.
So the question remains. Who should the Rangers pick to lead them through the new era? Should it be a veteran such as Chris Kreider or a young and rising star in Adam Fox? That is what we will look into today.