Shea Weber will serve as the 30th team captain in Montreal Canadiens history. But did they act a bit too quickly?
The Montreal Canadiens are heading into a critical season in 2018-19. After trading their previous captain Max Pacioretty in September, the Habs were assumed to go into the season without a captain. Which, given the youth of the team, might have been a good thing.
However, the Canadiens, as they always do, decided to act a little bit hastily. They have announced star defenseman Shea Weber will serve as the 30th team captain in franchise history.
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Usually, players get to decide who their captain is. And rightfully so, as it’s a prestigious title and the captain serves the players, not the bigwigs. However, multiple sources are reporting the Canadiens management decided Weber would be the next captain.
Something smells a bit fishy in Montreal. Why would management get involved in this situation? Let the players decide who their captain will be. The captain’s job is not to serve management. Rather, the job description of a captain include serving and leading his teammates and talking to the refs.
Was Weber The Right Choice?
This isn’t a knock on Weber at all. He did a great job serving as the captain of the Nashville Predators. Weber’s a guy who commands respect, both in the locker room and around the league. However, the Canadiens probably should have waited until he was healthy to confirm things.
Weber is currently recovering from an offseason knee surgery, which will keep him out until at least December. Considering he also had foot issues last season, which limited him to 26 games, the Canadiens probably should have waited to name him their next captain.
It’s not like the Habs needed a captain either. Keep in mind the Vegas Golden Knights just made the Stanley Cup Final without a captain. The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have one either, and that’s not stopping them from being Stanley Cup contenders.
Frankly, the role of captain is a bit overrated. Sure, it looks nice to have one, but dang it, if the Maple Leafs were able to resist temptation and not have a captain during their centennial season, surely the Canadiens could do the same. It would have been wise to hold off until they knew Weber is healthy.
Ultimately, I think Weber is the right choice. It was either him or Brendan Gallagher. And with all due respect to the latter, you’re nuts if you think they considered him for longer than a minute. Weber is the management’s guy. That said, it’s not a good look to name him as the captain so hastily.