The New York Rangers have announced today that Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, Jacob Trouba and Mika Zibanejad will serve as the team’s alternate captains for the 2021-22 season. It has been noted on multiple occasions that the Blueshirts were planning to name a captain for this season, so this is a pretty interesting development.
OFFICIAL: The six alternate captains for #NYR will be Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Strome and Barclay Goodrow.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 11, 2021
Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today Sports noted that head coach Gerard Gallant made the final call with this big decision. It seems that the team is now going to mull over their options a bit more before handing the role out to a player. Gallant certainly was in favor of this and looks like he has convinced general manager Chris Drury to follow it.
Gallant said it was his decision not to name a captain and he determined this was the way he wanted to go. His preference is the six alternates for now. Said it’s worked well for him in the past and Drury let him make the final call. #NYR
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) October 11, 2021
With the team having six alternate captains, they could have half of them wear the A during home games, while the others sport them on the road. It also seems like they want to test out each players’ leadership capabilities a bit more, too.
Briefly discussing each of the Rangers’ alternate captains
It’s surprising to see Goodrow being named an alternate captain. That is not a knock on the 28-year-old forward in the slightest, but he just joined the team this summer and the others were easier to predict. Still, he is locked up for six seasons with the Rangers, so he will be a big part of their lineup for awhile. He also of course won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, so that understandably helps his value. He also is a heart-and-soul player who plays tenaciously. Thus, he could thrive in a leadership role.
This will be Kreider’s third straight season of being an alternate captain of the Rangers. He has been in the running to be the Rangers’ next captain, and it’s easy to understand why. He has spent the entirety of his 573-game career with the Blueshirts and also has six more years left on his contract. The 30-year-old is now a key veteran for the Rangers and is still an important part of their top-six. Even if he is not named the team’s next captain, he surely will keep the A.
This off-season, Panarin openly stated that he does not want to be the Rangers’ next captain. However, he is still entering his second season as being an alternate captain for the Blueshirts. With him being the team’s most gifted forward, it’s entirely justifiable. In 42 games last season, he scored 17 goals and had 58 points. This came after a 95-point campaign in 69 games the season before. Therefore, his importance to the team is immensely high.
This will be Strome’s first time as an alternate captain for the team. Although he’s been a gifted center for the Rangers, one could be surprised about him, too. He has one year left on his current deal and was in the rumor mill earlier this off-season. Yet, with him not being moved, it’s a decision that makes sense. His play on the ice warrants it. In 56 games last season, he scored 14 goals and recorded 49 points. With the team extending Zibanejad, this could lead the Rangers to try to do the same with Strome. However, Adam Fox is also due for his monstrous raise and he is the bigger priority.
A lot of fans are in favor of Trouba being the next captain, too. He is the veteran leader on their blueline, so it’s easy to understand why. In 38 games last season, he scored two goals and had 12 points. Although he hasn’t replicated the 50-point season he had with the Winnipeg Jets since coming to the Rangers, he’s been extremely useful in other ways. It will be interesting to see what he provides this season in his second year as an alternate captain.
Finally, let’s look at Zibanejad. This will be his fourth year as alternate captain. As previously stated, he also just signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension with the Rangers. He was eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, but now, that thankfully won’t be happening. With this, one has to wonder how much this will help his chance of becoming the team’s next captain. In 56 games last season, he scored 24 goals and recorded 50 points. He had 41 goals and 75 points in 57 games the season before. Thus, he has the ability to be a dominant center in this league, so naturally, his name will be up for debate as their next captain.
We will now have to wait and see what’s next in store with the Rangers when it comes to the captaincy. Keep an eye out for it.