Top-6 Captain Candidates For The Sharks
It's September, which means a new hockey season is just weeks away. For the San Jose Sharks, it could not be soon enough.
After a "reloading" year last season - a year without a named captain - the Sharks have a new coach and some new players to build leadership in the locker room and on the ice.
Former head coach Todd McLellan decided to not name a captain last year after questioning the leadership of veteran Joe Thornton. Instead, he picked four alternative captain, each sharing the load. While that strategy suggest one player would eventually take the initiative to stand above the rest as a self-appointed captain, it actually backfired on the team.
The Sharks were gutless last year. With no man leading the charge, the team was just a pack of cowards looking around at each other waiting for an answer. The answer came when the front office decided to part ways with McLellan after seven seasons, leading to the hiring of Peter DeBoer.
DeBoer, unlike McLellan, has confirmed he will have a traditional captain and two alternate captains for the upcoming season. While he has not hinted at who those players will be, here's a list of qualified candidates I think will have the best shot:
6. Logan Couture
Couture, 26, was drafted by the Sharks in 2007 only to make the team at the end of the 2009-10 season. Couture has been one of the league's top sharpshooters since his 56 point rookie season (32 G, 24 A). Mostly playing on the second line with Patrick Marleau, Couture has seen a decline in his scoring after an injury-plagued season in 2013-14.
He is still young for a team captain, but he is considered among the leagues elite scorers and has been one of the more honest guys the media has talked to in post-game interviews. He has a shot at earning the 'C,' but he may end up with the alternative spot after being left out of the captains group last year. He was angry he was overlooked, perhaps this is his year.
5. Brent Burns
Burns was the Sharks lone All-Star last season. After several years of regular season domination and sending multiple all-stars per season, this was a big deal for Sharks fans. He is the only guy putting up really good numbers for his position. The defenseman, turned forward, turned defenseman again switched back to his original position last year and was stellar.
He will be a defender again this year, most likely paired with veteran newcomer Paul Martin. As a 30-year-old, Burns has seniority over the majority of the locker room, so he has a better shot of wearing the captain's patch this season. He is a huge leader off the ice and in the community as well, which is a PR director's dream.
4. Joe Thornton
The Mammoth, Big Joe, or simply known as "Joe," Thornton is the most experienced player on the team. His 1259 career points in just 1285 games says something about his level of play and consistency, but knowing him off the ice is what makes him such a leader. He was the captain of the Boston Bruins when he was a young star over there and became the captain again for the Sharks after Rob Blake from 2010-2014.
He has been the star of this team and is well respected around the league for being one of the best passers and possession players in the game. A possible future hall of famer to never win the Cup, Thornton is an ideal candidate if DeBoer wants the wisest player to don the patch. Otherwise, there are other decent options such as:
3. Patrick Marleau
Yes, another former captain of the Sharks(2004-09), Marleau is a fan favorite. He is essentially the opposite of Thornton in terms of playing style (fast, breakaway hockey), but he shares many comparisons as a person. They both have quiet personalities who set an example to the rest of the team on the ice by how they play, not by their motivational speeches.
Marleau is a quiet guy, but he has also been questioned by the press (ahem, Jeremy Roenick) about his "heart" and "passion" in big games. While his career playoff numbers suggest differently (103 points in 143 games), he can still be quiet for stretches at a time. If he is leading by example and his example is riding the "schneid," then how effective is that?
2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic
The once-young defenseman has made a name for himself as one of the top defensive players in the league over the years. Of course I still see him as the 18-year-old starter with perfect footwork and stick poking on the Sharks. Now at age 28, Vlasic was an assistant captain during the four alternate captain fiasco last year - he could get a shot to lead this team with the 'C.'
Of course, Vlasic is another one of those guys who lead by example and keep quiet in the locker room. It will all come down to who DeBoer likes as a leader, and who his teammates respect the most.
1. Joe Pavelski
Maybe the most deserving of the role, Pavelski has been little Joe in the shadow cast by Big Joe. He has grown and matured and developed into the newest star of the Sharks. After playing in every game for the past four seasons and averaging 35 goals per 82 games, Pavelski has done everything right in order to be the captain.
Being one of the best U.S.-born players in the world, Pavelski has participated in the Olympics as well as the Ice Hockey World Championships, playing a key role in the nation's success. He has also been one of the more honest and critical speakers after games in the locker room. If DeBoer and the rest of the team like the way he leads, he could finally become the big man of this team.
