Eastern Conference: Assigning captains to the captain-less teams
New York Rangers – Chris Kreider
Now onto Broadway. The New York Rangers have completed one of the quickest rebuilds in sports history. In February of 2018, team president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton wrote a letter to the fanbase explaining how they were entering a rebuild after missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
In May of 2019, Sather stepped down, as John Davidson took over in his place. Signing elite player Artemi Panarin, while also seeing top goaltending prospect Igor Shesterkin join the group, surely helped speed along the process, as the team made the expanded playoffs given the circumstances. While the playoff run ended in a mere three-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, this Ranger team is surely on the rise.
The team got even better offensively after winning the NHL Draft Lottery, picking 19-year old Alexis Lafréniere first overall.
Out of the 24 teams that competed in this year’s postseason, the Rangers were the second-youngest with an average age of 25.7. That number, I assume, has dropped a tad with Lafréniere now.
Since the team’s last captain, Ryan McDonaugh, was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning back on Jan. 23, 2019, the team has not filled the role.
This past season the team had four alternate captains in Marc Staal (traded to Detroit), Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast (signed with Carolina), and Mika Zibanejad, the last two rotating depending on whether the games were home or away.
Fourth-year Ranger Mika Zibanejad should get some considerations after putting the team on his figurative back last year, lighting the lamp a jaw-dropping 41 times, with 34 assists as well.
Although that was an unbelievable story, I expect 8-year Ranger Chris Kreider to be named the 28th captain in franchise history.
Ever since joining this team, he has had a knack for coming through in the biggest of moments. Early in his career, he was a player that was called up just for the playoffs before becoming a staple in the lineup.
He has appeared in seven postseasons as a Ranger, being one of those players that just finds a second gear when games become increasingly important. In 80 playoff games, the Massachusetts-native has scored 24 goals, with 15 assists for 39 points. In the cup run back in 2014, Kreider registered 13 points in 15 games.
This past season, Kreider missed some time with a fractured foot, an injury that occurred on Feb. 28 against the rival Philadelphia Flyers. While that should have been the end of his season, with no chance at returning even if his team made the playoffs, the circumstances changed when play was halted. He was able to play once the playoffs began in Toronto, registering two points (1G, 1A) in the three Qualifying Round games.
On such a young team, the 29-year old winger can help lead this team back to the promised land. He is a player that knows a thing or two about being the youngest and having to work hard to make a name for himself.