Predicting Which NHL Players Will Fill Vacant Captain Positions in 2014-15

Is the NHL suffering from a void in leadership?

As training camps get underway for the 2014-15 season, seven of the league's 30 squads have yet to award the captain's "C" to a player on their roster. 

There's no big rush to rectify the situation, either. A few teams have said they'll make a decision later in preseason, once they can assess their players' performances.

The Montreal Canadiens deferred altogether when they announced on September 15 that they'd work with a group of four alternates for the 2014-15 season. Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov will wear the "A" full time while P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty will alternate between home and road games.

Here's a look at where the other six captainless teams stand, along with their most likely candidates to fill the roles this season.

Buffalo Sabres

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The Lay of the Land: The Buffalo Sabres' last single captain was Jason Pominville, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild at the 2013 deadline. Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott were named captains for home and road games, respectively, for the 2013-14 season, but both were traded during the season.

Top Three Candidates: Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, Drew Stafford

Pros and Cons: Gionta's a native of nearby Rochester, New York and has experience as a captain after serving for four years with the Montreal Canadiens. Gionta's teammate Gorges was an alternate captain and would bring a bit more youth to the position—he's 30 to Gionta's 35.

But Gionta and Gorges have yet to play their first games in a Buffalo uniform. If the team chooses to elect a player who already has some history with the franchise, Stafford likely has the inside track. Drafted by Buffalo in the first round back in 2004, the 28-year-old has played his entire career in Buffalo and is now the longest-tenured Sabre in blue and gold.

Prediction: Brian Gionta

After finishing last in the NHL in 2013-14, the Sabres can use a shakeup. Starting fresh with a character guy like Gionta makes good sense.

Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Lay of the Land: The Columbus Blue Jackets haven't had a captain since Rick Nash was traded to the New York Rangers on July 23, 2012. The team used four alternate captains last season: Brandon Dubinsky, Jared Boll, Jack Johnson and Mark Letestu.

Top Three Candidates: Brandon Dubinsky, Jack Johnson, Ryan Johansen

Pros and Cons: A year ago, Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards told Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch that he was in no rush to name a captain. "I think it’s based on when the time is right and if you’ve got the right player and he’s ready at that time." 

After a season where his team took a step forward and got impressive leadership from the likes of Dubinsky and Johnson, the time could be now.

If Richards wants to hand the "C" to his young scorer Johansen, he'll need to wait not only until the 22-year-old signs a new contract, but also until the dust settles after the acrimonious negotiations.

Prediction: Brandon Dubinsky

Dubinsky demonstrated his commitment to his team when he signed a six-year contract extension in July rather than testing free agency next summer. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen praised Dubinsky's contribution during his two seasons in Columbus, per Craig Merz of NHL.com. "He's a leader on this team and a guy who plays at his best when it counts the most as we all saw in the playoffs."

Florida Panthers

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The Lay of the Land: Though he played just 43 games over the past two seasons, Ed Jovanovski wore the "C" for the Florida Panthers until he received a compliance buyout on June 30, 2014.

Top Three Candidates: Brian Campbell, Erik Gudbranson, Willie Mitchell

Pros and Cons: Campbell is listed as an alternate captain, along with Scottie Upshall, on the Panthers' website, so he could be a logical choice for promotion. The 35-year-old veteran is starting his fourth season with the organization and won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.

If new coach Gerard Gallant is looking for a young player to represent his team, he could choose Erik Gudbranson. The big 22-year-old was Dale Tallon's first-ever draft pick in Florida, chosen third overall in 2010, but might not be ready to step up and lead a team with so many new faces.

The new face who could be suited for the job is Willie Mitchell. A two-time Cup winner with the Los Angeles Kings, The Hockey News calls Mitchell "a huge presence (who) displays terrific defensive instincts and leadership."

Prediction: Willie Mitchell

Mitchell may be a newcomer, but along with Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen and Shawn Thornton, he's a symbol of the Panthers' new direction. A fresh take from a winner will be a valuable learning tool for Florida's talented young players like Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Gudbranson.

New York Rangers

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The Lay of the Land: Ryan Callahan wore the "C" for the New York Rangers from the beginning of the 2011-12 season until his trade-deadline move to the Tampa Bay Lightning last March.

Top Three Candidates: Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Martin St. Louis

Pros and Cons: Both 25-year-old McDonagh and his defense partner, 30-year-old Girardi, have played their entire careers with the Rangers. Their hardworking, gritty approach to the game helped power New York to an unexpected berth in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. Both have recently signed contract extensions that will keep them with the Rangers for the next several seasons.

St. Louis is in a different category. The 39-year-old has just one year left on his contract but was a heart-and-soul leader as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning before he was moved at the 2014 trade deadline.

After joining the Rangers, he fueled the team's playoff run with his determination to stay with the team following the sudden passing of his mother during the Rangers' second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Prediction: Ryan McDonagh

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has stated that he plans to wait until after training camp before naming his captain, but he told Dave Caldwell of the The Wall Street Journal exactly what he's looking for:

"

A captain of a team has to have the power to influence players in the right direction by his example, by the way he conducts himself. He also obviously has to be able to regroup the troops and, with his assistants, he is an extension of the coaching staff. The core values and the standards that we are trying to establish when we're not in the room, they're the ones who are pushing that. They're making sure everybody on our team does it the right way.

"

While the veteran St. Louis is known for rallying the troops, he won't be a Ranger for much longer. McDonagh's in a perfect position to grow into the captaincy, with the support of his teammates, for the next several years.

Ottawa Senators

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The Lay of the Land: It's been a bumpy couple of years for the Ottawa Senators' captaincy. During the summer of 2013, 13-year captain Daniel Alfredsson decided to sign a free-agent contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Less than a year later, his replacement Jason Spezza requested and received a trade, to the Dallas Stars.

Top Three Candidates: Erik Karlsson, Chris Neil, Chris Phillips

Pros and Cons: Both 35-year-old Neil and 36-year-old Phillips are Ottawa draft picks who have spent their entire careers with the franchise. Fans would embrace either player for their past leadership while living through the highs and lows of Senators team history.

Karlsson is the more interesting possibility. Now 24, the Norris Trophy winner is clearly Ottawa's backbone going forward; he told Lisa Burke of the Canadian Press back in August that he's ready for more scrutiny.

For the time being, general manager Bryan Murray is keeping his cards close to the vest. "We have a pretty good idea what we want to do," Murray told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "That's part of our discussion right now: Whether we do or not. Whether we have three 'A's' or whether we have a captain and two 'A's.'"

Both Neil and Phillips are currently listed as "A's" on the Senators' website.

Prediction: Chris Phillips

Neil and Phillips both have two years left on their current contracts, so either could provide the bridge that Karlsson needs to establish himself as Ottawa's next long-term leader. Phillips' long-term loyalty and status as a former No. 1 draft pick will give him the edge when the captain is named.

San Jose Sharks

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The Lay of the Land: With big promises of a "rebuild" after the San Jose Sharks' first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Kings, general manager Doug Wilson made few changes to his personnel over the summer, but stripped captain Joe Thornton and alternate Patrick Marleau of their designations in mid-August. San Jose is entering training camp with all jobs up for grabs.

Here's the crazy part: coach Todd McLellan did almost exactly the same thing back in 2009, when he stripped the captaincy from Patrick Marleau after the Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy but fell in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks. After losing his "A," Thornton eventually became captain while Marleau rejoined the leadership group as an assistant. 

Top Three Candidates: Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton

Pros and Cons: Thornton and Marleau are both now 35, so the Sharks might actually be serious this time about injecting some new blood at the top. Both Pavelski and Couture, as well as defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, are very good players who could step up with the support of their team.

But Thornton doesn't seem too eager to relinquish this throne. He told David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News that his teammates "all have come together" after a bonding session in Lake Tahoe before training camp "We're going to have to have 23 captains on the team this year."

Prediction: Joe Pavelski

Though McLellan hasn't ruled out the possibility that Thornton might succeed himself—and similar things have happened before—it's time for the Sharks to make a change. At 30, "Little Joe" Pavelski is ready to step beyond his nickname. San Jose's leading scorer from 2013-14 will be able to straddle the line—staying tight with the veterans while also helping to bring along the young players.