The Best Candidate to Fill Every NHL Captain Vacancy

Being a captain of an NHL team is one of the highest honors any player can receive over the course of his hockey career.

With one of the highest honors in hockey also comes a substantial amount of responsibility. Not all players are cut out for being NHL captains, though some are obviously better suited than others.

There is less than one month until the start of the NHL season, and there are eight NHL teams without captains. As these teams need captains sooner or later, it is time to layout some predictions for who will be "anointed" to these vacancies.

Here are eight players that could find themselves receiving the "C" at some point this season.

Buffalo Sabres: Christian Ehrhoff

Christian Ehrhoff is a 31-year-old defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres. Ehrhoff does not currently have an "assistant captain" title with the team, but he is one of the most intriguing prospects for the Sabres' captaincy for a number of reasons.

Minutes logged: Ehrhoff was far and away the minutes leader last season for the Sabres, averaging 25:11 per contest. It is important that the captain be on the ice for a significant portion of the game so he can intercede on behalf of the team.

Numbers: The captain of a team should also lead by example, and that includes putting the puck in the net. While players like Tomas Vanek, Cody Hodgson and others have more points than Ehrhoff did last year, the German defenseman led the Sabres' blue line in scoring with 22 points last season.

Consistency: For a Buffalo Sabres team that went 21-21-6 last season and had a downright awful finish to the season, Ehrhoff was extremely consistent in positive play.

In the 47 games that he played, Ehrhoff was only a "minus" player for 11 of them. That's pretty good for a player who has the most ice time out of any player on a non-playoff team. Ehrhoff finished with a plus-six rating, tied for first on the team.

Other Players Leaving? There are only a handful of players that have no-trade or no-movement clauses on the Buffalo Sabres. Christian Ehrhoff is one of them.

So if other players like Tomas Vanek or Ryan Miller wound up on the move somewhere, Ehrhoff would be safe to have the "C" because he would not be moved unless he waived his no-trade and no-movement clause.

Calgary Flames: Curtis Glencross

It is going to be difficult if not impossible for the Calgary Flames to replace Jarome Iginla. There was just so much that Iginla brought to the team for so many years that will not be replaced in the immediate future. However, the Flames must move on, and Curtis Glencross should be their next captain. Here are some reasons why.

Leadership Abilities: Glencross already wears the "A" for the Flames as one of their assistant captains. He has been with the team for five years and has a grasp of the locker room as far as player personnel is concerned. The big thing with Glencross that drives him over the top in terms of leadership is his ability to produce offensively.

Numbers: Glencross is one of the most consistent producers on the Flames. Although that isn't saying much due to Calgary's inability to generate offense without sacrificing its defense (third-worst goals against per game last season as a team), the fact is that Glencross still puts the puck in the net.

In the past four full seasons, the 30-year-old Saskatoon native has three 40-point seasons and has 41 goals over the past two seasons.

The Competition: With Mike Cammalleri aside due to his uncertain status on remaining with the team past this season due to his expiring contract, Glencross has to be the front-runner for the captaincy.

Players like Mark Giordano, Matt Stajan and others just don't have the offensive or defensive talent to don the "C" for the Flames.

Although Glencross seems like a temporary fix in terms of his skill level being lower than the average NHL captain, the Flames need some leadership. That leadership doesn't have to come from an extremely talented player, but it does have to come from a player like Glencross who will work hard for the Flames.

Columbus Blue Jackets: R.J. Umberger

The Columbus Blue Jackets also lost their long-time captain in Rick Nash. The former Blue Jacket had been the captain since 2008.

In order to cement their place as a team that has turned (and will continue to turn) the corner on their rebuilding efforts, the Blue Jackets need a captain that is committed to leading their team at both ends of the ice.

Enter R.J. Umberger.

Commitment to Defense: Although Umberger was only ninth on team scoring last season with 18 points, the Blue Jackets were able to keep the puck out more largely due to his commitment to defensive fundamentals. In the shortened season Umberger had 51 hits, 45 blocked shots and 22 takeaways.

Familiarity With the Organization: The Jackets acquired Umberger in 2008, and he has missed just five games over five seasons with the organization.

20-Goal Seasons: With the exception of the lockout-shortened season, Umberger had four straight 20-goal seasons. This is due to his ability to get shots on goal as well. In each of those four seasons, Umberger put up over 200 shots on goal.

Due to Umberger's offensive and defensive abilities and the fact that he is signed for at least the next four seasons, look for the first-line forward to get the "C" this season.

Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn

The Dallas Stars lost their captain when Brenden Morrow accepted a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Stars are also in the middle of a "changing of the guard" so to speak with new GM Jim Nill at the helm. But the Stars can get the Jim Nill era off on the right foot by selecting a solid captain.

That captain should be Jamie Benn.

Youth: Jamie Benn has what other veteran leaders on the Stars don't have, and that is youth. Although there are certainly more qualified veterans on this team like Ray Whitney, Stephan Robidas or Sergei Gonchar, none of them will be on this team past the next two or three years. That would necessitate selecting a new captain in a few years if any of those players was named captain.

Leadership Experience: The 24-year-old Benn has been an assistant captain with the Stars since January 2012. In a league where the average captain is a lot older, it is key to have a youthful captain who already has leadership experience. While Benn may take a season or so to properly adjust to his role, he has the tools and the experience to handle things properly.

Scoring Touch: Since joining the league, Benn has seen his point totals climb in consecutive seasons with the exception of the lockout-shortened 2012-13. In the three seasons prior, Benn put up 41, 56 and 63 points, respectively.

As a captain, it is always good to be able to produce and lead the team offensively.

Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall

The Edmonton Oilers lost their captain when Shawn Horcoff was traded to the Dallas Stars.

Now that Horcoff is gone, the Oilers can turn to one of their incredibly talented assistant captains. The decision should ultimately be between two players in Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.

While Eberle has done a lot for the Oilers with 76 points back in 2011-12, Taylor Hall is the most highly regarded of the two players and contributed more to the team offensively last season than Eberle did.

Although Eberle had a 34-goal season, he shot 18.9 percent; he didn't come remotely close to that percentage in the lockout-shortened season.

No. 1 Overall: There was a raging debate in the 2010 NHL draft about whether to draft "Taylor or Tyler" first overall. The Oilers took Taylor Hall as opposed to Tyler Seguin (now with the Stars), and Hall has paid handsome dividends.

Higher Than Point-Per-Game Average: Despite Eberle's 76-point season discussed above, Taylor Hall seems to have finally adjusted to the NHL. Hall had 50 points in 45 games this season, including five points in the last two games. His offense, should it continue into next season, would almost be enough by itself to vault any bubble team into the playoffs.

Captain Is Just a Title: When it comes down to the Eberle-versus-Hall debate for the captaincy, one has to remember that at the end of the day, being a captain is a title only. Eberle would still wear the "A" if he doesn't get the captaincy and still have the role of a captain when Hall wasn't on the ice.

Although Hall is the more promising of the two players, don't be surprised if Eberle manages to don the "C" instead of Hall.

New York Islanders: John Tavares

John Tavares is a no-brainer to be the next captain of the New York Islanders.

While there was virtually nothing special on Long Island prior to Tavares being taken in the 2009 draft, Tavares changed the reputation of the Islanders.

Offensive Skill Level: In terms of his hockey skills, Tavares is just on another level than any other player on his team. Last season, Tavares had 29 goals in 48 games and 47 points overall. Tavares showed marked improvement in his point production in the three seasons before that with 54, 67 and 81 points, respectively.

Leadership: Tavares has been an assistant captain for the Islanders since the start of the 2011 season. The obvious next step is making him captain.

Ottawa Senators: Erik Karlsson

When Daniel Alfredsson left for the Detroit Red Wings this offseason via free agency, it created a huge hole that the Senators have to fill.

That hole isn't sizable in terms of offensive output now that the Senators have Bobby Ryan, but it is going to be a challenge in a different way. The hole that will need to be filled by a player that the Senators players, management and fans can really get behind.

That player is Erik Karlsson.

Captain-Like Attitude: Although Karlsson is not an assistant captain at present, he will likely be placed in a leadership role one way or another. Karlsson is humble with his fellow players and the media, but also does the dirty work and plays the extra minutes when needed.

Heavy Minute Logger: As stated above, Karlsson plays some monster minutes in the regular season, averaging 27:09 per contest. Although Karlsson played just 17 games before suffering an Achilles tendon tear, he will be playing similar minutes come 2013-14. As a captain, he would be on the ice for almost the majority of the ice time, meaning he could talk to referees and sort out issues as needed.

Doing It Right: When Senators head coach Paul MacLean was asked about the captaincy situation on NHL.com, MacLean simply said he was looking for "someone does it right every day and is a good representative of the team." MacLean declined to comment on when the process would be complete, saying that he wouldn't "put a timeline on it."

Simply put, Karlsson does things the right way. He loves to compete and brings his best game every time he steps on the ice. He's a huge threat to put up points in a game, putting up 78 points in 2011-12.

Karlsson is more of a long-term solution than the 30-year-old Jason Spezza, who is already an assistant captain with the Senators.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Steven Stamkos

The big debate on the Lightning captaincy right now is between Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.

It would be easy to say that Stamkos should get the captaincy over St. Louis because "Marty" is "old" at 38 years of age. However, it would be equally as easy to point out that St. Louis led the league in scoring last season with 60 points.

On the other hand, while everyone knows that Steven Stamkos can score goals, what often slips through the cracks is how well Stamkos handles pressure-filled situations. Stamkos has been one of the faces of the NHL since his emergence as an offensive juggernaut and has handled that pressure very well.

While St. Louis has two years left on his current deal, the Lightning would send an obvious message that they are keen on keeping Stamkos in a Lightning uniform for years to come if they appointed him as a captain this year.

Even though St. Louis has earned his stripes with 12 seasons in a Tampa Bay uniform and 910 regular-season games with the franchise, Stamkos might be the future-looking choice for the Lightning as they face this captaincy decision.

All statistics via NHL.com unless otherwise noted.