The Captain Conundrum 2011

The news is out, the Rangers are done with Chris Drury, leaving the Blueshirts without a captain.

Before the C was sewn to Drury's sweater I held the belief that the team needed a cult of personality to lead them and, if anything, the last few seasons strengthened that philosophy. Us fans will never know what Drury brought to the table in the room and outside the rink - he may very well be responsible for the quick acclimation to New York by all of the Ranger kids the last few seasons. We will never know. But it is sad the way things worked out from what we did see.

We are pretty much right back where we started from. Back in 2008 the Rangers were transitioning from the Jagr generation to the Renney's American Rangers and it was clear that the C would go to one of the two big money Cs that were signed, Drury or Scott Gomez. Seeing as Gomez was a clown, that pretty much sealed the deal for Dru. Now the team is transitioning from the mercenary Sather signings to a generation of home grown kids.

So who will it be?

The obvious choice is Ryan Callahan. Cally's on-ice abilities are well known and he matured before our eyes as the New York media turned towards him in Drury's injury-caused absences. Callahan may very well be the next captain and he may very well prove to be worthy of the letter (and I truly hope so) but April 7th opened the door to doubt. Cally stood on crutches alongside Steve McDonald to present the extra effort award before an important home game against Atlanta. The sight of their injured teammate alongside New York's hero cop did nothing to inspire the team and they fell 3-0 in an utter embarrassment.

What we need to figure out is who will be able to inspire this team and lead them to a Stanley Cup? Callahan may very well be the man, but let's just look at a few other candidates:

Henrik Lundqvist: Hank is clearly deeply emotionally tied with the team and it's performance - after wins he is happy, after losses he looks like someone kicked his puppy. He doesn't hide from the media and isn't afraid to call out his teammates. As much as he is the King, he is also the Atlas holding up the Ranger world. But Roberto Luongo proved that goaltenders just shouldn't be captains in this day and age. While Hank can surely handle the pressure, he doesn't need or deserve the distractions.

Brandon Dubinsky: Dubi has been right there alongside Cally, growing up and giving all he has for the team. He is willing to fight for his teammates - physically at times - and call out the opposition *cough, cough, Crosby, cough, cough*. But he is on the verge of yet another possible contract holdout and you simply don't want to see that from the captain.

Marc Staal: The Rangers' top defenseman, Staal is yet another product of the developmental system who is rightfully taking his place among the best blueliners in the NHL. On the ice he is quiet and steady and perhaps the best foil for Alex Ovechkin in the league. While we saw a hint of a sense of humour with him at the All Star draft, Staal is usually as straightforward, bland and dour as Drury was with the media. He is best just going about his business rather than having to deal with all that captaincy holds.

Derek Stepan: In his first season Step stepped right in and often didn't look like a rookie. With the media and the fans he is gregarious and gracious and is already well loved by his teammates. A leader at Wisconsin and with the junior Team USA, Stepan clearly has the personality and ability to be 'the man' when called upon. But, going into his sophomore season he needs to be able to work to avoid the infamous slump without having the team's fortunes weighing upon him.

Brad Richards: Since it seems to be all but certain Richards is signing with the Rangers on Friday, he should be considered a candidate. The former Conn Smythe winner already has a good relationship with the head coach and several of the players and at 31 years old has plenty of experience in dealing with the ups and downs of the league. However, Richards will need to acclimate to the city and, unless his contract demands are far less than expected, will be just another mercenary coming to New York for the money.

Twice in recent history the Rangers chose poorly between two candidates for captaincy - picking the reluctant Leetch over Graves and Jagr over Shanahan. Drury was definitely a better selection than Gomez would have been but he didn't prove to be the leader the Rangers needed. Let's hope that they decide on the right one this time.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #18 Marc Staal

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. And this time around we started with the high numbers and are up to #18, Marc Staal.

#18's #s: 77 games, 7 goals, 22 assists, +8, 50 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, one assist, -3, no PIM).

Take the good: Staal was the workhorse of the defensive corps, averaging more than 25 minutes per game and playing against the top talents in the league. He is one of the only defenders singlehandedly capable of containing Alexander Ovechkin. Strong and sturdy, he combined with Dan Girardi on the Rangers' top pairing. Staal rarely takes bad penalties and has apparently sworn off fighting (he has not thrown the gloves since the infamous bongo incident) ... although he should have tossed off the gloves after getting a stick to the crotch by Alex Burrows. He had my favourite hit of the season against the Islanders.

Take the bad: Had the NHL wheel o' justice been turning the way it did in the playoffs, we would have lost Staal for quite a while for his hit on Matt Stajan. Staal clearly was battered, bruised and tired by the end of the season. Despite the maturation of Sauer and McDonagh, he only saw less than 20 minutes once the entire year. He unleashed a personal best 116 shots but few were of the quality that he is capable of. Staal saw plenty of power play time and never looked comfortable. And he got absolutely hammered by his own brother, the same brother who waited until the seventh round to draft him at the All Star game. That can't be good for family dinners.

Take them both and then we have: Our number one defenseman, for now. Staal is big, he is strong and he is smart. He skates hard and is rock solid in his own zone. He still doesn't know when to carry the puck or join the rush and surprises most everyone when he does it. I mean, the guy can score a goal like this, why doesn't he do it more often?

The NYR Facts Of Life: #18 Marc Staal

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. While Jordan Staal was nominated for the Selke Trophy this week, he isn't getting the honour of this treatment but his brother, #18 Marc Staal is.

#18's #s: 82 games, 8 goals, 19 assists, +11, 44 PIM.

Take the good: Literally and figuratively Staalsie didn't take a night off. By far the team's best and most reliable defenseman, he played on the top pairing all season long - first with Dan Girardi, then back with Rozy, then back with Girardi again. Staal had less than 20 minutes of ice time just seven times this season and the Rangers went 2-4-1 over that span. He struggled early with John Tortorella's coaching, seemingly not knowing if/when he should attack or stay back or what but by the middle of the season he found a comfort area and was much improved. And at the end of the year, hell, he had a three game goal streak!

Take the bad: While Staal struggled with the system (or lack thereof depending on who you talk to), he tried to do too much and was too careless with the puck. He improved over the course of the season but it still happened on occasion - like at the start of the Flyer game at the Garden in April. He was by far the best defenseman on the team but, looking at the unit, that isn't saying too much. He does a lot of things right but Staal is still a ways a way from the upper echelon of NHL defenders.

Take them both and then we have: A 23 year old leading the Blueshirt blueline. Staal has yet to reach his potential and still was named to Canada's World Championship team - no small feat considering the depth of talent up there. He will face tough competition over the rest of his career to haul home a Norris (damn that Doughty is good) but if they do ever make a defensive defenseman award down the line, our Staal brother certainly will be in the running.