I am doing what I said I wasn’t going to do: talk about the CBJ captaincy at great length. Oof. Yuck. The topic that never seems to go away is about to be breached for the first time on Buckeye State Hockey dot com. Let us break down the candidates, eh?
Nick Foligno
The front runner in the race for captain, Foligno has all the tools anyone could ever ask for as a fan of the Blue Jackets. Lovable, personable and, at times, brutally honest, the team could not be better represented by Foligno. You may be asking yourself “Sam, why are you so dead set against Nick Foligno being captain?” The answer is simple: regression.
By any measurable standard, Foligno has just had his best year as an NHLer, and found himself at the forefront of everything Blue Jackets related. Whether it be injuries, where he was pushed to the first line and rewarded the team with a career year, or the All Star Game, where he was named as a captain. Everything was coming up Foligno.
But is a year like this feasible next year?
Probably not.
The realization that many would have to come to is that this season may have been an outlier for the twenty seven year old winger. Sure, he very well could be a late bloomer and score at the startling pace he had established in 2014/15, but the chances of it happening aren’t favorable. If you name Foligno captain and he fails to meet the lofty standards he’s created for himself this year, the questions won’t be about his personal life or the hobbies he enjoys off the ice, but a bombardment of narrative-driven criticisms about poor play and if the captaincy is weighing him down.
Don’t get me wrong, Nick Foligno is a good player, who just had a great year and has shown his worth to this team. Allow him to be a part of this core, but not the focal point of it.
Brandon Dubinsky
Prior to the Foligno anointing, Dubinsky was the preeminent choice by fans and onlookers alike. Dubinsky has shown his fiery self not only on the ice but during his stern locker room interviews, and he exemplifies what the Blue Jackets are all about. The name of Dubinsky’s game is consistency, and when he’s healthy, you always know what he will give you in regard to production. He can create and brings his teammates up to his level when on his line.
There are two lingering concerns when considering Dubinsky for captain.
The first is his injury history, which has been growing by the year and has started to look quite cumbersome. The last time Dubinsky played a full season was all the way back in 08-09, something that should raise some eyebrows, especially after signing his long term contract.
The second concern is his fiery attitude, which is a blessing and a curse for the Anchorage, AK native. While his penalty minutes have fluctuated from year to year, the incessant need to take minor penalties has drawn some ire from fans of the Jackets. When the dust eventually settles, I believe Dubinsky should be the Blue Jackets captain going forward.
Scott Hartnell
A wild card in this conversation is the inclusion of Hartnell. Hartnell is new to the team, but also brings a hint of experience that the Jackets may be looking for. Hartnell has a Stanley Cup Final appearance on his resume, something not many other Jackets can say, and that could impress the front office and coaches. That brings up a whole other conversation: which intangibles do the Jackets value? Is playoff experience a must for the new captain? Does it need to be a forward?
Why not Hartnell? He suffers from a lot of the same limitations that Dubinsky has, primarily the fiery attitude that gets him in some precarious spots (to put it lightly). Another factor that would go against Hartnell would be his age which, at 33, puts him in a tie for oldest on the team with Rene Bourque. His time as a top liner may be coming to an end within the next couple of seasons, which could allow him to be a stopgap for a younger player to step in.
Which brings us to…
Boone Jenner
Young Boone is the player that has been circled as the presumptive choice by almost all media members connected to the team. Yes, Jenner makes sense as a choice – down the road – but I don’t think they want to pass the reigns off to a player with so little NHL experience. The only situation I can see him as captain anytime soon is in the scenario I mentioned above, which isn’t a far fetched plan, although it could rub some other players the wrong way.
Jack Johnson
This is my wild card selection out of the bunch as Johnson has worn an “A” during almost his entire tenure with the Jackets. Management may decide to reward his loyalty with the captaincy, but it doesn’t seem too likely. It has been prognosticated multiple times that the defense needs an overhaul, which could end up with Johnson elsewhere. Out of all the defensemen not named Ryan Murray, Johnson seems the least likely to be moved this off-season, as it’s fairly obvious that the team views him as a legit number one defensemen. While his financial situation should hold no bearing in a possible decision, it could be viewed by the front office as an off the ice concern that could possibly overshadowing his play on the ice and his role in the locker room.
The list of candidates has a lot of pro’s and cons on each of their resumes but I believe Dubinsky brings the least amount of cons to the table as most of the players stand out individually for their on ice accomplishments. Foligno will more than likely be selected come Fall but I wouldn’t be surprised with any of these players getting the captaincy as the parameters become more clear as time passes.
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