I don't think anyone would argue that Naslund was an underachiever this season and there have been whispers that suggest his return next year could be in question.
Without Naslund then, who would make a good choice for our next captain? Any new signings would be extremely unlikely to take the position so, who out of our current roster would do well?
Trevor Linden
Character-wise, no other choice would be better. As his playoffs showed, Trevor bleeds Canuck blue & white. His play and effort leads his team on the ice, but he's not a lock. At 37, any year could be his last. Would the club want to install a new captain that may not provide long-term stability? Would the Canucks want a captain who's not playing on the 1st or 2nd line?
Willie Mitchell
After his first year as a Canuck, Willie has proved to be a strong defenseman and by all accounts he's strong speaker as well. Perhaps those qualities can transfer to the locker room and can develop into our next leader.
Matt Cooke
No one can argue his motivational skills on the ice and he is outspoken, but could you really see a sh!t disturber as a captain?
The Sedins
They lead in scoring and are quickly developing into league scoring leaders; but I don't think anyone really sees either one of them as a source of team leadership both on and off the ice. They're Swedish and we all know how many Stanley Cups Swedish captains have won.
Mattias Ohlund
Too quiet. Mattias comes across as more of follower and besides, he's Swedish too.
Kevin Bieksa
Although he's a bit of a hot-head and he takes quite a few undiscplined penalties, he is still young may yet develop into a possible leader as he matures. If he can continue to grow and strengthen his game on the ice, look for Bieksa to don a letter on his jersey in the future.
Without Naslund then, who would make a good choice for our next captain? Any new signings would be extremely unlikely to take the position so, who out of our current roster would do well?
Trevor Linden
Character-wise, no other choice would be better. As his playoffs showed, Trevor bleeds Canuck blue & white. His play and effort leads his team on the ice, but he's not a lock. At 37, any year could be his last. Would the club want to install a new captain that may not provide long-term stability? Would the Canucks want a captain who's not playing on the 1st or 2nd line?
Willie Mitchell
After his first year as a Canuck, Willie has proved to be a strong defenseman and by all accounts he's strong speaker as well. Perhaps those qualities can transfer to the locker room and can develop into our next leader.
Matt Cooke
No one can argue his motivational skills on the ice and he is outspoken, but could you really see a sh!t disturber as a captain?
The Sedins
They lead in scoring and are quickly developing into league scoring leaders; but I don't think anyone really sees either one of them as a source of team leadership both on and off the ice. They're Swedish and we all know how many Stanley Cups Swedish captains have won.
Mattias Ohlund
Too quiet. Mattias comes across as more of follower and besides, he's Swedish too.
Kevin Bieksa
Although he's a bit of a hot-head and he takes quite a few undiscplined penalties, he is still young may yet develop into a possible leader as he matures. If he can continue to grow and strengthen his game on the ice, look for Bieksa to don a letter on his jersey in the future.
