There’s been a lot of talk over the past week or so about Ryan McDonagh being named captain of the Rangers when training camp officially opens on Thursday. While I can imagine why a lot of fans would want this, and it is definitely a likely possibility, it is not what I’d do if I were Alain Vigneault.
When you play on a hockey team, there’s a lot to be said for earning your letter.  I was captain of my high school team my senior year, and I say this because speaking from experience, the process has to be respected or it doesn't work.  Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been regulars on the team since well before Ryan McDonagh was even traded for, not to mention since McDonagh began taking regular shifts for John Tortorella. Staal and Girardi have also been wearing assistant captain ‘As’ for the past few seasons. Marc Staal is a pretty good leader in the locker room according to a lot of the players. However, I’m not sure that either of them is captain material.
Last year after the departure of Ryan Callahan, Brad Richards, who was wearing the third A, became de facto captain of the team. That said, there was one other player who was a major presence both in the locker room and on the ice. A player who has experience as a captain himself, a seasoned veteran, and one of the best players in the league. I’m talking about Martin St. Louis. If you look at the locker room videos from the playoffs, Martin St. Louis is addressing the team in every single one. If you hear how he talks to the team, you immediately think of leadership. He had the undivided attention of every player in the room, every time he spoke. The younger Rangers want to hear what he has to say; they want to be exposed to his wisdom and are all clearly willing to be lead by him. He is an inspiration, and players will be going to him more regardless of whether or not he's captain because of how many of the guys relied on Richards' veteran leadership last year.
Yes, McDonagh definitely has leadership qualities, and I would expect that he will be captain of the Rangers some day; some day pretty soon in fact. It’s just really difficult from the perspective of the guys wearing As – two other top-flight home grown defensemen – to give a younger guy the C when he has not yet had an A and they have for years. I would not name McDonagh captain mostly for that reason, but I wouldn’t give it to Staal or Girardi either. Another thing that you cannot do is give a player the captaincy and then take it away and give it to another player on the team. When managing a hockey team’s leadership, there is no leapfrogging and there are no demotions. Both of those things cause problems in a locker room, no matter how tight the group might seem. I also feel that McDonagh has to continue to go through some development in the leadership department.
For these reasons, it makes a whole lot of sense to me for AV to name Martin St. Louis the next captain of the New York Rangers. He has been a captain before; he knows how to lead on and off the ice. He has already proven that he can take control of the room with positive outcomes, a room that he had only been a part of for a short period of time. In addition, he likely only has two seasons left, and the Rangers only have him signed through the end of this upcoming season. They will likely sign him for one more year after this season. Marty can wear the C for the next two years while grooming McDonagh to be the next captain when St. Louis departs. All the while, Staal and Girardi wear the As, and continue to do so when Marty leaves and McDonagh takes over the captaincy. The absolute worst thing to do to McDonagh’s development would be to allow him to fail as captain of the Rangers. He would never recover. I have confidence in him, but that C is a very heavy thing on the Rangers jersey. Brian Leetch had trouble with it. Chris Drury had never played as bad as he did when he was a Ranger. Jaromir Jagr was much better when he wasn’t wearing the C. Those guys were all veterans. Ryan McDonagh can barely no longer be called a kid, and last season was his breakout year. Let McDonagh continue to develop, and give the captaincy to Martin St. Louis.
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