Momentum is growing for the Flyers to name a new captain
possibly as quickly as sometime over the course of the next week given the fact
that Chris Pronger’s playing days appear to be over. No surprise, Claude Giroux
is the early leader in the clubhouse, and with good reason.
Tim Panaccio made the case for Giroux’s captaincy on
Wednesday, and people within the organization sound receptive to the idea,
including GM Paul Holmgren and head coach Peter Laviolette. Lavvy had this to
say from Panotch’s story:
“Over the course of the last three years, since I’ve been
here, every step that he has taken you can almost see a timeline,” coach Peter
Laviolette said. “The way he played in the regular season. The first step in
the playoffs, that year we went to the finals. [The] way he played the next
year in the playoffs again.“Every step for him has been a step in the right direction
as an elite player and a tremendous leader for our club.”
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He’s a 25-year-old franchise player. The selection looks
inevitable.
But suppose for a moment the choice was not Giroux. Who else
on the team do you think would be worthy of wearing the C?
We narrowed it down to three other possible
candidates: Kimmo Timonen, Danny Briere, or Scott Hartnell. Timonen and Briere are
the elder statesmen in the locker room, but given their ages – 37 and 35
respectively – both would be short-term solutions at best, although probably
good ones. Hartnell, 30, just signed an extension before the lockout began, so
he’ll be around for awhile, and he certainly seems to embody everything being
a captain and wearing the Orange & Black is all about.
It doesn’t appear any other names besides Giroux are gaining traction at
this time, not that we have a problem with that. But despite their relatively
young roster, the Flyers are not a team lacking in veteran leadership, that’s
for sure.
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