As August rolls along, and the days until opening night dwindle, there are just a few more questions that need to be answered before then. One of those being if the New York Rangers are going to be with or without a new captain for the 2025-26 season.
The Rangers made a couple of changes this offseason, and their head coach was among those moves. Mike Sullivan, who had a very successful decade in Pittsburgh, comes to the Rangers with a highly talented, but unknown-potential, team.
One of the mysteries surrounding this team involves leadership, which is up in the air with no clear candidate. Does Sullivan decide to patch the "C" on a Blueshirt before opening night, or let it rock with a slew of "A"s?
Who can he name?
There are a bunch of good candidates on this team to choose from. J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck are the front-runners with both the locker room and the fan base. Adam Fox is probably the correct choice here, but unlikely from Sullivan and the front office, and don't be surprised if Mika Zibanejad gets a vote or two for the captaincy to try and rekindle his confidence.
If Sullivan names anyone, it is going to be a center because that is what he is used to from his tenure in Pittsburgh. He had arguably the greatest captain and one of the greatest players of all time in Sidney Crosby, and the Rangers do not have anything close to that. But, both Miller and Trocheck have great leadership qualities about them, both on and off the ice, and that is a desperate need for the Rangers right now.
They have to fix the elephant in the room that killed last season, and that was the broken locker room.
Is it a job worth taking?
After the debacle that was the departure of Jacob Trouba, the most recent captain of the Rangers, last season, players have a right to be hesitant about taking the job. But all of that drama is a part of the job description, as the one who wears the letter is the face of the franchise.
The Rangers have to make sure they choose the right player for the next captain. It cannot be someone who will crack under that pressure, or try to overdo it, like Trouba did by trying to take leadership by committing manslaughter on the opposing team. Easier said than done, right?
But, with Sullivan as the new head man, he definitely learned a thing or two from Crosby that he can translate to whoever is the next captain of the Rangers. There is a safety net there, and that is a leg up from the last decision.