Who Should Wear an 'A' for the New York Rangers?

If you're like me, you've come to the conclusion that either Chris Drury or Scott Gomez will end up having the distinction of being named the 25th captain of the New York Rangers before the start of the season, with the other player being designated as an assistant captain. So the question is: Who gets the other "A" on their sweater?

Let's look at the contenders...

The Favorites

Markus Naslund
Positives: Naslund was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks before the 2000 season (after the departure of Mark Messier) and held the title for the duration of his career in Vancouver. Naslund is a Lester B. Pearson Award winner (2003) and former Hart Memorial Trophy nominee (2003). He is also a three-time First-Team All-Star, chosen each season from 2002 to 2004. After being traded to Vancouver in 1996, he became the franchise leader in goals and points. In 11 seasons with the Canucks, he was named team-MVP five times and led the team in scoring for seven consecutive seasons—both team records.
Negatives: Naslund finished last season with his lowest points total since 1997-98 and apparently became frustrated with coach Alain Vigneault's defensive coaching style. I guess Naslund didn't watch many Ranger games last year, because if he became frustrated with a defensive coaching style in Vancouver, it's not going to be much different here.

Michal Rozsival
Positives: Rozsival is the longest-tenured Rangers defenseman and just recently signed a four-year, $20 million contract. Rozsival's defining moment with the Rangers was his overtime winner against Buffalo in Game Three of the 2007 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Negatives: Rozsival is coming off of offseason surgery and his worst year defensively. Rozsival frustrated fans all year with his hesitancy to shoot on the power play. While he ended the season with a career-high 13 goals, most Rangers fans will tell you he should have had close to 20.

Wade Redden
Positives: In 1999, Redden was named alternate captain of the Senators, a position he held for his remaining nine seasons with the team. Redden scored double-digit goals in five of the six seasons between 1999 and 2006, during which time he was one of the premier power play quarterbacks in the league. He is a two-time All-Star and was part of a strong defensive pairing in Ottawa's run to the finals in 2007. He also just signed a six-year, $39 million contract, meaning he'll be manning the Rangers power play for a long time.
Negatives: After scoring double-digit goals in five of the six seasons between 1999 and 2006, Redden has not scored more than seven in the last two seasons. Last year, Redden was an assistant captain on a Senators team that absolutely folded down the stretch, and he lied to Ottawa fans when he said he'd take a hometown discount to stay right before signing with the Rangers.

The Dark Horses

Brandon Dubinsky
Positives: Dubinsky, in his first full year as a Rangers rookie, ended the season centering the team's top line. He was one of 16 rookies selected to participate in the 2008 YoungStars competition at the 56th NHL All-Star Game, and he earned the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.
Negatives: Dubinsky is only 22 years old and this will only be his second full season playing in the NHL. However, the Chicago Blackhawks just named 20-year-old Jonathan Toews the team's 34th captain, so you never know.

Blair Betts
Positives: Betts has quickly become one of the teams most reliable penalty killers and face-off men since joining the team in 2004. Betts was also sixth on the team, first among forwards, with 98 blocked shots last year.
Negatives: Betts is a fourth-line player who was a minus-4 last year and has yet to show any leadership qualities.

Ryan Callahan
Positives: Callahan personifies hustle on the ice. He was one of the keys to the Rangers run to the playoffs the last two seasons. His hustle play to score in Game One against New Jersey last year encapsulates what Callahan is about. Not to mention his work along the boards in Game Five against New Jersey, which helped clinch the game and the series.
Negatives: Callahan is only 23 years old and has yet to play a full season in the NHL.

Looking at these contenders, my choice is Naslund. I think Naslund's seven years as a captain in Vancouver can't be overlooked despite coming off his worst offensive season. And his being named team-MVP five times says a lot. In the unfortunate event that an assistant captain gets injured, the next choice should come down to Redden and Rozsival. However, Rozsival's three-year tenure with the Rangers, and my anticipation of a big year from him with Jagr not around, clinches it for Rozsival in my mind.

If the Rangers end up re-signing Brendan Shanahan, though this whole article will be for naught. What do you guys think?