Three candidates to be the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres
With Kyle Okposo getting traded to the Florida Panthers last week, the Buffalo Sabres will need a new captain. It seems like the team will wait until the offseason or next season to name the next captain of the Sabres. At the moment, Buffalo will just have assistant captains for the rest of the year.
It got me thinking, who should be given the captaincy? The Sabres have some candidates who should be wearing the C next year for Buffalo. Even though they're the youngest team in the NHL, some players have captain material.
Okposo was a great captain for the Sabres. Even though his career with Buffalo wasn't impressive offensively wise, he embodied what it meant to be a Buffalo Sabre. He was a perfect role model and said the right things a captain should say.
With that being said, here are three candidates to be the next captain. Two will be popular names and one will be a surprising candidate.
1. Alex Tuch
Alex Tuch is the first candidate. Ever since coming over from Vegas in the Jack Eichel trade, Tuch has been a fan favorite. He was a Sabres fan growing up and after being acquired, Tuch lived out his childhood dream and was playing for his favorite team.
The Sabres winger cares so much about the organization and the city of Buffalo as a whole. Just his attitude of wanting to be a Sabre is refreshing. If he isn't given the captaincy, I would not be surprised if Buffalo made him an assistant captain.
Not only is he a skilled player, but he has a captain mindset and attitude to him. He's embraced being a Buffalo Sabre and it would be cool if he was the team's next captain.
2. Zemgus Girgensons
Zemgus Girgensons is my "dark horse" candidate. While he might be an unpopular name when it comes to the captaincy, let me explain. As crazy as it sounds, Girgensons is the longest-tenured Sabre. At 30 years old, Girgensons has spent his entire career with Buffalo.
After getting drafted in 2012, Zemgus has been through it all with the Sabres. The only thing with Girgensons is he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. So with that being said, maybe he won't be the next captain.
However, the Sabres do love Zemgus. They love what he brings to the table and he's made it clear that he wants to be in Buffalo. It goes to show you what kind of player he is and that mindset is what you want in a captain. Girgensons is a good depth player and he battles every time he's on the ice.
Of course, he would probably need a multi-year deal to be named captain but after what he has gone through being on the roster, it would be very rewarding for him to be the one who has the C on his jersey next year.
3. Rasmus Dahlin
The last candidate, Rasmus Dahlin. Just like Girgensons, Dahlin is another assistant captain. While he came to Buffalo a few years after Zemgus, Rasmus has established himself as a star defenseman in the NHL. While everyone viewed him as an elite player, Dahlin added a mean side to him.
Aside from his skill, he is another player who has the qualities of being a captain. The way he handles situations when things are going bad is exactly how a captain should do it. It's insane how mature he is at the age of 23, but I think there is a very good chance he will be named the new captain.
If you ask me who I think the team will name captain, I think it will be Dahlin. Just from hearing his comments in press conferences and his attitude in general, he would be a perfect fit for the captaincy. Dahlin would be the first defenseman to be named captain of the Buffalo Sabres since Craig Rivet wore the C from 2008-2011.
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