The Oilers summer of change may not be quite over yet. They have been on the trade market and have had their fair share of activity with contract, yet they still may have to make some more internal moves. The team has had a revelation in the past few months, one that may suggest that its time for the Oilers to star
t a whole new era of Edmonton hockey. With that mindset, we may very well see a changing of the guard in the form of handing over the captaincy to someone other than, current captain, Andrew Ference. Ference, as we all know by now, was a product of the MacT/Eakins era and was named captain before playing a game in the orange and blue. The change would make a lot of sense if you take the current state of the franchise, being that Ference is now going to compete for a bottom paring guy on the current roster which will take away from his ability to lead on the ice. The players that could potentially take over that role are numerous, as there is an abundance of young and qualified leaders currently on the roster, two of which have an “A” already stitched onto the jersey. To find their perfect captain, the Oilers should look no further than some of the top teams in the league. The philosophy that gives the captaincy to the grizzled and experienced veterans is slowly going out of style as the majority of teams now employ their younger forwards as leaders. This has been seen most famously with some of the premier teams such as Chicago, Jonathan Toews, Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby, and Tampa Bay, Steven Stamkos. This fact directly affects Edmonton in the fact that they are gearing up to become a top team and will have to make the proper transition with their young and dynamic core.
Taylor Hall
The first name that comes up when discussing the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers is Taylor Hall. It makes an ordinate amount of sense, he was the guy that started off this lengthy rebuild and has been here the longest out of the core, so he is an obvious pick. He plays a fast game and has arguably been the best player on the roster in past years. Whatever Hall lacks up in, he makes up for with his pure passion. The guy has a burning desire to prove himself at the elite level and will go to great strides to make sure of that. However, this is where he has his downfalls. When the going gets tough, Hall tends to take it upon himself to change the game, individually. Now, there is nothing wrong with holding onto the puck a little more than usual, if you can make something of it, but that hasn’t always been the case for him. I cannot count the amount times I’ve seen Hall enter the O-zone and lose the puck while trying to dangle around defenders. In spite of this though, he can cycle the puck pretty damn well with his linemates and has primarily been a team player throughout his Oilers career. Not to mention that he can lay the body (Something that Jamie Benn found out last year). Taylor Hall has been the face of the franchise since 2010 and should have an inside edge in the deciding process.
Taylor Hall’s strongest character trait: Flaming Passion to win
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Sometimes a captain doesn’t have to be the biggest star or the most exciting player. Certain times the best captains are the quietest, leading the team by the way they play on the ice. The latter would definitely apply to the baby-faced Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He may not seem like the sort of guy that can rally a team off the ice, but the focus is more on what he does on the ice. When he has the puck on the rush, you watch him, because he has both an elite shot and a deadly pass. He can carry a line and is responsible on both sides of the puck. His calm demeanor is also an attractive attribute, although he did drop the mitts early on last season, in a tilt with Dan Hamhuis. Of all the candidates that are mentioned here today, Nugent may be the most rounded player. This also wouldn’t be the first time that Ryan has had a C sewn onto his jersey. During the 2013 world junior championships, he was named the captain of Team Canada. unfortunately, Canada would lose but, Nugent-Hopkins lead in tournament scoring. His major downfall is somewhat of an unknown, that is, can he lead a team in the dressing room? That much is hard to say because NONE of us have ever seen the situation behind closed doors. Also cast into doubt is how he handles himself physically on the ice. Yes, he has fought before but he isn’t a particular physical player, this doesn’t mean a whole lot but its worth mentioning. Despite these two minor question marks, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would be a great choice to lead this young group of Edmonton Oilers.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins strongest character trait: Calm demeanor that bodes well with exceptional hockey IQ.
Nail Yakupov
A good captain has to adjust accordingly to the roles he’s been given and has to welcome in those changes. Nail Yakupov is no stranger to having to adjust. I bet you’re thinking “Yakupov? Captain?! Uh no?” but hear me out on this one. Nail, throughout his 3 year career, has been steadily misused. He was pinned as a offensive threat when he was drafted but has been used in a defensive role for the majority of his time in Edmonton. He has under performed for sure but think about it. Have we heard one peep of frustration about all this changing? Once, when he was unfairly being scratched by, the Yakupov hater, Dallas Eakins. Here I can give Nail the benefit of the doubt. He stuck with it though, trying to change his game to fit his role, even though it only showed minimal success. This tells alot about Nail’s character, he could’ve sulked and just demanded out but he kept on keeping on. When he’s on, he’s on and that can generate a lot of energy around the team and his passion is unrivaled. Watch a Yakupov highlight reel and show me one goal where he isn’t beyond excited, good luck. I think, when it comes to Yakupov, that he’s a very well liked guy that could lead a team on and off the ice, given that the circumstances are right. He may not be as good an option than Hall or Nugent-Hopkins might be, but he deserves more mention in the conversation.
Nail Yakupov’s strongest character trait: Brings enough energy to power a small town.
Connor McDavid
It’s not unusual for a captain to also be the teams best player overall, leading on the ice is an integral part of the game. Stop me if I am getting ahead of myself but…..we kinda have to mention Connor McDavid don’t we? First off, I am not saying that the Oilers hand over the team to him before he even plays his first NHL season by any means. No, I am saying that in the long-term this could very well become McDavid’s team, similar to how Chicago is Toews’ and Pittsburgh is Crosby’s. He has that generational tag on him that suggests the same thing will follow suit in Edmonton. He possess a strong ability in almost all aspects of game and if he brings that to the NHL then we could see a #97 jersey with a stitched on C sooner rather than later. Dare I say that it could be in his sophomore season, similar to how Colorado gave its captaincy to Landeskog. I am not going any further than this, since nothing has transpired as of right now.
Connor McDavid’s strongest character trait: He just might have the stuff!
There we have it, the 4 guys that I see as being the top candidates for being the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers. All of them, with the exception of McDavid, would be a good choice to have coming into the 2015/16 season. The transition that this franchise is enduring will have to go through the leadership ranks within the roster and when it does it should only benefit the team. My personal choice is the Nuge! Feel free to comment who YOU think should captain the Oilers next and why!
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