In a bit of an unusual move, the New York Rangers announced Wednesday that they will start the 2018-19 without a captain. Instead, they will have five alternate captains.
Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello served as the two alternates alongside former captain Ryan McDonagh before his departure at the trade deadline last season. When alternate captain Rick Nash was traded, a handful of players took turns wearing the third ‘A.’
For the 2018-19 season, Staal and Zuccarello will keep the ‘A’ and Jesper Fast, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider will have one as well.
Head coach David Quinn discussed it further after practice, as teams can have a captain and two alternates or three alternates. Staal will wear the ‘A’ for all 82 games this season. Kreider and Fast will wear the ‘A’ for road games and Zibanejad and Zuccarello will for home games.
While this isn’t the first time the Rangers have done this, I’m not sure if it’s the best move. It’s great for the development of these players and the team altogether, but sometimes you really need that captain voice — not five.
Jaclyn Marr 