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

ald 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?

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