BY DEREK CARSON – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The Ottawa Senators are expected to announce our new captain today for what will hopefully be years to come. Below is a list of likely (and not so likely) candidates who could put the ‘C’ on their chest and lead us to glory.
Erik Karlsson
Age: 23
Games Played with Sens: 233
Total Points: 163
Minutes per Game: 27
Contract Length: Six Years
If you’re one of those people who think the best player on the team should be the captain, then Karlsson is your man. He’s the only Sen to win an individual award outside of Alfie’s Calder Trophy, lo those many years ago. He plays the most minutes out of anyone on the team and is arguably our MVP. The knock against him is that he’s young and it’s hard for men to be led by boys.
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Chris Neil
Age: 34
Games Played with Sens: 779
Total Points: 212
Minutes per Game: 14
Contract Length: Three Years
Neiler is the heart and soul of the Sens. He stands up for his teammates against any opponent and rarely takes a bad penalty. He gets the boys going on the ice and gets the crowd pumped in the stands. If you thought that Alfie’s quiet style was more a hindrance than a help, you’ll want Chris Neil to be our next captain. There’s nothing quiet about him and he leaves everything on the ice, every game.
Jason Spezza
Age: 30
Games Played with Sens: 611
Total Points: 621
Minutes per Game: 19
Contract Length: Two Years
The heavy favourite for the captaincy, Spezza has been waiting in the wings for a few years now and we’ve been waiting with him. This would be his chance to finally show us that he can be the leader we need him to be. He’s matured tremendously in his game and rarely makes a silly turnover anymore. He almost always stepped up when Alfie was injured and carried the team until Alfie’s return (and then he would relax and make silly turnovers again). With Alfie’s permanent desertion, now is the time.
Chris Phillips
Age: 35
Games Played with Sens: 1,073
Total Points: 270
Minutes per Game: 21
Contract Length: One year
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If you thought Alfie’s leadership style was the right way to go, then Chris Phillips is your man. He’s a quiet guy who leads by example. He doesn’t pick fights with anyone but he also doesn’t have any problem going into a scrum to help out his smaller, weaker teammates. He’s played over 1,000 games with Ottawa, his entire career, and shows no signs of wanting to jump ship. Think of Phillips as Alfie 2.0 – a fine choice by any stretch.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Age: 20
Games Played with Sens: 9
Total Points: 4
Minutes per Game: 11
Contract Length: Two Years (RFA)
Why Pageau? Because he’s the only Sens player, besides Alfie, to have his name become a chant in our rink. Because he singlehandedly put an end to the Habs fans’ Olé chant. Because he’s a phenom on the rise! Pageau! Pageau! Pageau! Pageau! (Hey, I said some not so likely candidates, right?)
For whoever gets the ‘C’, this year is going to be exciting to see what they can do with it.
Go Sens!