The Devils and their Big "C"
Posted 11:08 PM ET | Comments 4
Upon the retirement of the great Hall of Famer Scott Stevens the Devs have struggled to find a solid captain. They tried Elias, and Langenbrunner and in between, the position was left vacant. When Jamie was shipped off to Dallas at the deadline the position of captain was left vacant once again. The Devils' management wisely decided their were more important things than naming a new captain, such as dragging the team out of one of their worst slumps in history.
This off-season once the free agency frenzy dies down and the Devils have a solid idea of how their lineup will look on opening night, the Devils need to begin thinking who will do the best job leading this team to another great season, especially following last year's disappointment.
So who is this man? Is it Ilya Kovalchuk, the man the Devils invested over 100 million dollars on? Do the Devs give Elias a second chance? Or do they reward the C to the man who led them in scoring over recent years despite missing nearly all of last season (assuming he resigns)?
There are arguments for and against all of these choices. For Kovy, he was a captain for seven and a half years in Atlanta and the Devils spent over a month working out a HUGE contract for. However, Kovy has never won a playoff series and the Devils have played some of their worst hockey since he joined them last February.
For Elias. He has been as loyal to the Devils as any player could be and there is doubt the younger players look up to him. However, there was a reason he was stripped of the c before. He is a great player but he is too quiet to be a great captain.
Lastly there is Zach Parise who deserves the C as much as anyone for his hard work and great stats. But the captain shouldn't just be your top scorer or the most popular guy. The truth of the matter is he hasn't played in a year, and his unwillingness to work with the Devils thus far this off-season may raise a warning flag.
So who is it? Elias, Kovy, Parise? Or is there someone else in a Devil's sweater who deserves the title Captain? What do you think?
This off-season once the free agency frenzy dies down and the Devils have a solid idea of how their lineup will look on opening night, the Devils need to begin thinking who will do the best job leading this team to another great season, especially following last year's disappointment.
So who is this man? Is it Ilya Kovalchuk, the man the Devils invested over 100 million dollars on? Do the Devs give Elias a second chance? Or do they reward the C to the man who led them in scoring over recent years despite missing nearly all of last season (assuming he resigns)?
There are arguments for and against all of these choices. For Kovy, he was a captain for seven and a half years in Atlanta and the Devils spent over a month working out a HUGE contract for. However, Kovy has never won a playoff series and the Devils have played some of their worst hockey since he joined them last February.
For Elias. He has been as loyal to the Devils as any player could be and there is doubt the younger players look up to him. However, there was a reason he was stripped of the c before. He is a great player but he is too quiet to be a great captain.
Lastly there is Zach Parise who deserves the C as much as anyone for his hard work and great stats. But the captain shouldn't just be your top scorer or the most popular guy. The truth of the matter is he hasn't played in a year, and his unwillingness to work with the Devils thus far this off-season may raise a warning flag.
So who is it? Elias, Kovy, Parise? Or is there someone else in a Devil's sweater who deserves the title Captain? What do you think?
Gayest article title, ever
i think that Martin Brodeur really should get the "C" otherwise at least give him an "A" because of his knowledge, leadership, and importance to the team
I agree^
I don't think that fans who see the game from the outside are the best judge of who should be captain. The coach looks for certain behavior in a captain and we fans aren't privy to what the coach wants and which player displays it. We can make good guesses (like Parise) but they're just guesses. And captains shouldn't be chosen because of their stats but because of various leadership qualities - I'd say that it's purely coincidental if Parise is given the C and leads the team in scoring.