Why the Buffalo Sabres nailed the captaincy for 2022-23

The Buffalo Sabres have finally named their captain and two assistant captains, and they absolutely nailed all three choices. 

After weeks and months of speculation, the Buffalo Sabres have finally named their team captain and assistant captains for the upcoming season. It was a no brainer but Kyle Okposo was named the new captain of the Sabres while Rasmus Dahlin and Zemgus Girgensons were given the assistant captains.

There has been a ton of debate about the decision to give Okposo, Dahlin and Girgensons the letters. You can have your thoughts on it but in this article, I’m going to tell you why the Sabres nailed all 3 captaincies. All 3 players deserve it in a way and I’ll explain why I think they do deserve to get a letter.

Buffalo Sabres nailed it with naming three remarkable captains

Let’s start with the brand new captain, Kyle Okposo. First of all, no one on this team is more deserving to getting the C than Kyle. He is the clear leader in the locker room and fans heard about this a lot more last year. Okposo has always been a leader for the Sabres, even during his tough seasons while he was with Buffalo.

After all, he did win the Sabres Rick Martin Memorial Award last season and it’s incredibly deserved.

I know tons of Sabres fans wanted Alex Tuch to be the captain but Buffalo got it right by naming Kyle the captain. When time’s have been tough, Kyle is always accountable and has the qualities of being a true leader. Tuch will be the captain soon without a doubt but as of now, Okposo deserves to be the captain.

Sabres also nailed the alternates/assistants

Let’s transition into the assistant captains. First is Zemgus Girgensons. I do like how Zemgus got the A. Just like Okposo did last year, Girgensons was also an assistant captain. He may be in the bottom six of the lineup but it’s clear he has a voice in that locker room. The crazy thing is he’s 28 years old and he’s the longest tenured Sabre.

He may not be the best player on the team but it’s pretty clear that Don Granato and Kevyn Adams view him as one of the leaders in the Sabres locker room. For the other assistant captain, that belongs to Rasmus Dahlin. It’s crazy how Rasmus is only 22 years old and he is considered a leader on this team.

Rasmus is not only going to be an amazing defenseman on this team but he’s a player for his fellow teammates to look at when the franchise needs a spark. Obviously as fans, we don’t have that much access to the locker room like the players do. But just like Girgensons, it’s clear that Sabres management view him as a voice that fans don’t see.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but if you ask me, I think the Sabres nailed the captaincy and the assistant captains. No matter what happens this year, one thing is for sure. This franchise is in good hands when it comes to leadership.