Blue Line Station
Fansided

Who should be the next captain of the New York Rangers?

By Gregory Gullo

Jan 22, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) celebrates his goal with New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and left wing Chris Kreider (20) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 4-3 in a shoot-out. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) celebrates his goal with New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and left wing Chris Kreider (20) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 4-3 in a shoot-out. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Jan 19, 2020; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and Rangers center Ryan Strome (16) talk during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2020; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and Rangers center Ryan Strome (16) talk during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Leaders but not quite captain material

The Rangers are very fortunate to have a lot of players that could can assume leadership roles, but these players are more suited for the role the Alternate Captain.

Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Jacob Trouba are all great players who bring a special energy to the team. They’re just not suited to be the main leader of the organization. Panarin, Strome, and Trouba have only been in the Big Apple for a short amount of time and the honor should go to someone who has stuck with the Rangers through thick and thin.

Even though Ryan Strome is well respected among his teammates, he is also set to become a free agent after the upcoming season. It has yet to be seen if the Rangers intend to sign him long-term or trade him at the deadline but there are too many question marks for Strome to become Captain.

As for Panarin and Trouba, they just haven’t been with the team long enough to receive the captaincy.

Both of these players certainly bring a special type of energy to the team, especially Panarin but with their lack of longevity in the Big Apple, I just don’t think they deserve the highest honor a Blueshirt can receive.

Home/Editorials