Captain of the ship?

By Eric Redner

The Phanatic Magazine

After the debacle that was last season, I practically have ice coming out of my ears in anticipation for the upcoming NHL campaign. Paul Holmgren has very quickly jumped up the list of my favorite Philadelphia sports personalities as he has made nothing but good moves since taking over for Bobby Clarke early last season.

The team is completely revamped and while they might struggle out of the gate due to an unfamiliarity between the players, they will compete for a playoff spot and with the talent and veteran leadership on the team could make a good postseason run.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. It's currently 86 degrees out, I just came in from outside and wanted to think of a time when it will be a bit cooler out. That time will be in October, when the 2007-08 season will kick off.

The Flyers roster, aside from maybe a bit of fine tuning and maybe bringing in another good free agent (I've read some rumors about Teemu Selanne, but nothing solid) appears to be pretty much set.

Which leaves us with one question. Who will be the next team captain?

I would like to see Sami Kapanen get the "C".

Here is a list of possible candidates:

1. Simon Gagne

2. Mike Richards

3. Sami Kapanen

4. Daniel Briere

5. Derian Hatcher

6. Jason Smith

7. Kimmo Timonen

First, I would rule out Briere, Smith and Timonen. All three were captains on their respective teams last season, but I'm not a fan of making a player who is new to the team the captain.

Hatcher is out of the equation. While he was an assistant captain last season and was the captain of the Stars during Dallas' Stanley Cup victory in 1999, his main job this year will be to help the younger d-men. Take the "A" away from him and give it to Timonen.

While Gagne has posted great numbers over the past two seasons and will hopefully keep his production up with the addition of Briere, I just don't believe he has the heart to effectively lead the team. Pull the "A" off of his sweater and give it to Briere.

Richards has been tagged as the future leader of the team. However, one of the jobs of a captain is to lead by example and he has yet to prove that he will become what the Flyers are hoping from him. If he starts to produce consistently he should get the "C", but not this year.

That leaves us with Kapanen. Last seasons Gene Hart Award winner given to the Flyers player who demonstrated the most heart and best work ethic and determination deserves to be the captain this season. His numbers aren't anything spectacular, but you can throw him out on the ice in any situation and he has the experience to show the young guys on the team what to do. Kapanen deserves to have the "C" and I believe he will make an effective leader for the Flyers next season.