NHL Central Division Captains, Ranked Worst To First
Mar 11, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) defends against Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) during the first period at American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Blackhawks 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The NHL’s Central Division has some good captains, but how do they stack up against one another?
What makes a good NHL captain is a point of much contention. Chicago Blackhawks fans would argue the stoic leadership and strong two-way play provided by Jonathan Toews works just fine. St. Louis Blues fans, up until recently, would have told you a gritty, fighting captain who takes one for the team is all well and good.
But really, it’s very difficult to rank the league’s captains based on any specific criteria. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try with the NHL’s Central Division.
Today, we take a look at the division’s seven captains and rank them on what they bring to the table and what success (or failure) they’ve led their respective teams to, as well as what they can bring their teams moving forward.
Now this is a very interesting conversation because three of the division’s teams have named a new captain this offseason. That doesn’t just mean those guys will be ranked seventh through fifth, though. None of those three guys are new to their teams, so they’ve brought something to the table before now.
May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators center Mike Fisher (12) against the San Jose Sharks in game six of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
No. 7: Nashville’s Mike Fisher (nee Underwood)
Fisher is one of the three aforementioned new captains this offseason. And it was kind of an odd pick from the Preds. Sure, Fisher was an alternate captain under now-departed former captain Shea Weber. But does anyone really look at Fisher and think, “Now there’s a captain”?
The guy is seemingly always hurt, and he’s definitely on the downside of his career. That doesn’t mean he’s a bum, but the 35-year-old’s 23 points in 70 games last season was his lowest non-lockout output since 2003-04.
There’s no doubt Fisher has a leadership component to his game, otherwise he wouldn’t have been wearing an “A” previously. He’s probably a great guy in the locker room, and he’s a veteran of more than 1,000 regular-season games.
But when you have options like Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg and P.K. Subban, I think you can do better than Fisher, who will hold the “C” for three or four years at most before a likely retirement. Granted, we should probably just be glad they didn’t give it to James Neal or Mike Ribeiro.
Apr 9, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler (26) skates down the ice during a shootout against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. The Winnipeg Jets won 4-3 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
No. 6: Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler
Now, unlike Fisher, I think Wheeler is a solid replacement for his team’s former captain. Andrew Ladd‘s departure left a hole in that respect, and the Jets filled it with a young, confident up-and-comer.
Frankly, the Jets didn’t have a ton of options for this honor. I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if former Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglien was given the “C,” and I think he’s the only other guy who could have worn it for Winnipeg this season and not made it a joke.
But Wheeler is rapidly becoming one of the league’s better forwards, and he’s a clean guy who’s a perfect front man for a rough-and-tumble Winnipeg squad. Wheeler posted 78 points in a full 82-game season against just 49 penalty minutes.
If you’re looking to build a leader from within, it’s logical to put the “C” on a guy who was your best player last year. I’m thinking Wheeler takes this honor and runs with it. Given he’s just 30 years old, he could wear the letter for some time.
Apr 24, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu (9) and forward Nino Niederreiter (22) and forward Jason Pominville (29) during a time out during the third period Minnesota Wild Dallas Stars in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. The Stars win 5-4 over the Wild. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
No. 5: Minnesota’s Mikko Koivu
Like most things involving the Wild, I had forgotten who their captain was. My first two thoughts were Ryan Suter and Zach Parise … and I was sort of right on both. They each wear an “A” in Minnesota. But the veteran Koivu is here, too, and it’s he who wears the “C.”
Koivu has been Minnesota’s captain since 2009, and he’s probably going to continue in that role until he retires. He’s 33 right now, and Minnesota is the only NHL team he’s ever known. So barring a trade, should the Wild decide to tear it all down in the near future, Koivu will stick with Minnesota and likely wear the “C” throughout.
Koivu’s captaincy has not reached the heights management and fans would have hoped for. The Wild can’t make it out of the Western Conference semifinals, and Koivu has to shoulder some of the blame for that. He’s a fine forward who’s constantly up for Selke Trophy nomination, but often times he’s just kind of … there.
Koivu hit 56 points last season, the third most of his career. But there’s only so much he can do to lead a team that’s never really done anything that well in his time as captain. Koivu strikes me as more of a captain in name than a major leader on the ice.
Mar 29, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) talks with right wing Jarome Iginla (12) and center Carl Soderberg (34) during the third period against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center.The Blues won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4: Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog
Mr. Elbows was named captain of the Avalanche in 2012, the youngest in league history at 19 years, 286 days. And his tenure has seen its ups and downs.
The highest point for Landeskog so far was when Colorado won the Central Division in what may’ve been the league’s ultimate surprise of 2013-14. The Avs outlasted St. Louis by a point and Chicago by five, and for that Landeskog has to be commended. He potted a career-best 65 points that regular season, and his brand of leadership certainly worked with that team.
But the rest of his tenure has been so-so. He netted just 36 points in a full season two years ago, then 33 in 75 games last season. A combination of the captaincy and playing for noted crazy person Patrick Roy could have been weighing on him.
With a new coach in place this year, Landeskog could feel refreshed and get back on track. He’s just 23 years old, so he has potential to be one of the franchises better captains. Of course, if he struggles again this season, new leader Jared Bednar could make a switch in the 2017 offseason to the likes of Nathan MacKinnon or Matt Duchene.
May 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) against the San Jose Sharks in game two of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff at Scottrade Center. The Sharks won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
No. 3: St. Louis’ Alex Pietrangelo
With David Backes departed, the Blues almost couldn’t find a worse captain on their current roster, unless they picked Ryan Reaves. Pietrangelo was a really strong choice, though, and he has the potential to push the Blues to things Blackhawks fans would rather not think about.
Pietrangelo is like a poor man’s Duncan Keith, more or less. He’s the defensive leader on a group that gets pretty suspect toward the back end, and he provides some solid offensive kick from the blue line. He’s relatively level-headed, a switch from what Blues’ leadership normally offers.
The two-time All-Star has been up for the Lady Byng and Norris trophies throughout his NHL career, which is reaching full season No. 7 this year. At just 26 years old, Pietrangelo could hold the “C” for a really long time.
Pietrangelo is just a consistently solid presence for the Blues, and that’s very likely going to translate to his captaincy. He could buckle under the pressure, along with essentially being coached by both Ken Hitchcock and Mike Yeo this year. Pietrangelo’s captaincy could really start in full during the 2017-18 season, though.
He was already more of a leader on the ice wearing an “A” than Backes was wearing the “C.” Now we’ll see if Pietrangelo wasn’t wearing the “C” earlier for a reason.
May 11, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) skates on the ice against the St. Louis Blues during the second period in game seven of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
No. 2: Dallas’ Jamie Benn
Look, it isn’t Benn’s fault his GM can’t see the team has no goaltending. If the Stars had one serviceable netminder last season, Benn could’ve been hoisting the silver chalice first among his team. Instead, they couldn’t get past St. Louis in the conference semifinals.
But Benn is certainly not the reason for that. He’s been a fantastic team leader since 2013, helping the team through its transition from afterthought to conference power by doing everything well on the ice.
Benn hit 87 points two seasons ago for the Art Ross, then scored 89 last year to finish second in the league. He makes up one-third of one of the league’s most-potent lines, along with Tyler Seguin and Patrick Sharp. He’s defensively responsible, possesses the puck well, has a good head on him and just plays the game the right way.
Really, the sky would be the limit for Benn as the Stars’ captain if he was in another division. The Central Division is so cutthroat that Benn’s efforts will stand out in the regular season, but risk getting washed away quickly in the playoffs.
Still, at just 27 years old, he’s likely going to add some more hardware to his resume as Dallas’ captain. Will he bring the city hardware to share as well? Only time will tell.
Jun 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1: Chicago’s Jonathan Toews
A good captain can be hard to find in the NHL. That might explain why just six guys who were named a team captain prior to 2010 are still leading that same team today (Shane Doan, Zdeno Chara, Sidney Crosby, Toews, Koivu and Alexander Ovechkin). What’s the least bit surprising about that, however, is that Toews is among that group.
Already the greatest captain in Blackhawks history, Toews just keeps finding new heights to reach. The third-youngest captain in NHL history (behind Landeskog and Crosby) took the role in 2008-09 and has done more than run with it.
Three-time Stanley Cup winner. Three-time All-Star. One-time Selke Trophy and Conn Smythe winner. One of the league’s leading faceoff takers and best defensive centers. Captain Serious.
Toews is all of these things, and he’s just now reaching his prime years. Toews’ steady hand is evident on the ice and within the Blackhawks’ locker room. He’s the voice of reason who always comes up big, either on offense or defense. He’s potted 564 points in 645 regular-season games and added 108 points in 124 postseason tilts.
Toews has the chance to go down among the NHL’s greatest captains. He will go down as the Blackhawks’ greatest captain until further notice. And he’s definitely the Central Division’s top captain today.
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