5 Candidates To Be Next New Jersey Devils Captain
New Jersey Devils captain Andy Greene is getting older. It’s time to think about who could take his place once he’s gone.
We are going to make this very clear to start, this is and will never be an endorsement to strip Andy Greene of the New Jersey Devils captaincy. Greene has not been put in a position to succeed over the past three seasons. That’s causing him to have less than stellar nights on the ice. However, the mere fact he’s willing to put himself in those positions is why he is a good captain.
That being said, Greene is going to be 37 years old during the first month of the NHL season. Usually, the only defensemen to play past that age are the greatest of all time. There are three active defensemen older than Greene. They are Zdeno Chara, Niklas Kronwall, and Ron Hainsey. Only Chara is someone who is still capable of playing top-line minutes for a championship-level team.
We expect Greene to play this final season of his contract, then possibly skate off into the sunset. Even if he does return, it will be one a year-to-year basis. Greene has two young children that he’s always seen talking about or spending time with when he can.
Even if the Devils bring Greene back for a year, there’s a very limited time the Devils have with their current captain, and it’s time to scout some of the options for the future. There’s so many players on this team that could become a captain for a decade, or there are some short-term options. Either way, we need to find out who’s going to be the Devils 12th captain. These are the five most logical options.
5. Travis Zajac
This might seem really low for a player who’s basically the veteran presence for the forwards and is a life-long New Jersey Devils player. He’s closing in on a total of 1,000 games in a Devils uniform. He’s quickly rising up career milestone charts every season.
Right now, Zajac ranks 6th in games played, 5th in goals, 4th in points, 5th in power play goals, 4th in short-handed goals, and ranks in the top ten for many other categories. A player with that kind of clout on the roster will be an easy leader. Star players will listen to him. Young, skilled rookies will listen to him. Even players that are older than him will listen to him because he’s been through just about everything in his 13-season career.
The reason he’s so low on this list is because of his contract situation. The Devils don’t want to keep changing captains in such a crucial time. The Devils you see today could one day become a dynasty if everything falls right.
Zajac has two years left on his current deal. One of those years will be spent with Greene as captain. That leaves Zajac coming in on a contract year. He will be 36 at the end of that contract, and his skill will be two years older. There’s a good chance that he takes his $60+ million in career earnings and goes become a coach. Then the Devils will be right back where we are now.
4. P.K. Subban
This one might come as a surprise, but P.K. Subban marks a major change in culture for the New Jersey Devils. When the Devils traded for the defenseman, he instantly became a leader. He’s a lightning rod, but it’s always for the weirdest reasons. The latest controversy is because he’s posting workout videos this summer. So we’re mad that he’s going to a new team and wants to be in the best shape of his life? We’re mad because he’s not resting on his laurels or his $9 million annual contract?
The Devils can build around those controversies. They can build up an “us-versus-them” mentality built around their captain. Subban is another player who might not be long for the Devils, and has the same issues as Zajac without the life-long Devils clout he possesses.
Still, Subban was a leader when he was in Montreal, and he was a leader when he was in Nashville. He should have been captain those last few years while he was playing with the Canadiens, but they clearly didn’t treat him the way he deserved. It seemed like his own front office was making up stories about him. That won’t happen in New Jersey. Here, he’s a welcomed addition, and that will help him continue to grow as a leader.
Subban isn’t too likely to become captain, but he would be a good one if he was given the chance. He would make the Devils fun, and would bring a nice attitude to the locker room. Sometimes teams can carry an us against the world mentality all the way to a championship. Let’s hope Subban can do that for the Devils.
3. Damon Severson
Right now, Damon Severson is quickly becoming one of the best defenseman on the Devils, and he’s one of the best deals on the team as well. Severson is just 25 years old. That means when Greene’s contract ends, he will go into the next season at 26. That’s basically the beginning of a defenseman’s prime. They have moved past the mistakes made in their early years, and they still have the speed of their younger days.
That means the Devils could give Severson the “C” while he’s in his athletic zenith. He gets to play his best hockey while also being the team leader. It may feel like a weird selection now, but this is a player that doesn’t hesitate to come to another player’s aid. If he were to become captain we’d imagine he would do it more often.
Severson could become the next in a long line of great defensive Devils captains. He could one day put his name next to Greene, Bryce Salvador (say what you want, but he was really good for us for much of his career), Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer.
For Severson to get the captaincy, he’d need to show immense growth this season. He’d have to stand out in what is now a defense that is quite good. With Sami Vatanen, Subban, Greene, Ty Smith and Will Butcher all on the blue line, he needs to take his play a step further. If he can, Ray Shero and John Hynes might figure this is the best decision to make.
2. Nico Hischier
What a world we live in. It’s a world where a 21-year-old player can be the captain of an NHL team and nobody blinks an eye.
Nico Hischier showed immense leadership last year in the hardest of times. After Taylor Hall was injured for the entire second half of the season, he stepped up his game. He had 17 points in January and February combined. That’s a decent enough number when there was a Rolodex of wingers playing next to him.
Injuries obviously destroyed this Devils team, but Hischier did his best to keep them competitive. Even when it didn’t work out, you never saw this kid waiver. Hischier already plays a two-way game, making sure that his play in his own zone keeps as many goals out of the net as his line scores. It seems like Hischier understands how to play winning hockey, even if last season didn’t go the Devils way.
Many believe Hischier is on his way to a monster season. After two years where he scored 52 and 47 points respectively, some think he could get all the way to 70. If he makes that kind of jump in production, then it would be hard to say he doesn’t deserve the captaincy. If Hall comes back fully healthy, then this could be entirely possible. The Devils are stacked in the top six now, which takes the pressure off the first line. Teams can’t just put their first-pairing defenseman on Hall and call it a day. With Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes on the second line, there’s a scoring threat in both lines.
Plus, maybe the Devils making Nico captain helps with next year’s contract negotiations. It will not be the end all be all, but it could push both sides to make a deal happen. Nobody wants the captain to sit out, especially the captain himself. It’s not the reason to do it, but it’s not a bad positive.
1. Taylor Hall
Alright, we know what all the recent headlines about Taylor Hall have been saying. He’s going to the Edmonton Oilers. Hall wants to go home to the Calgary Flames. The Tampa Bay Lightning will find a way to sign him. We’ve seen rumors tying him to the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks (how?), Toronto Maple Leafs, and other teams. All we’re hearing about this offseason is why other teams would be a good fit for Taylor Hall. At the end of the day, we’re the best fit.
Hall has said on multiple occasions how much he loves New Jersey. It took him a while to get acclimated to life outside of Edmonton, but after a rough first season, he took off. Now, he’s one of the best wingers in all of the NHL, and that’s partially thanks to the Devils organization. He’s said so himself. Hall has given credit to everyone else, and those are the qualities you want in a captain.
He is an alternate captain in New Jersey and was one in Edmonton. Hall was literally leading this team by himself to the playoffs in 2018. We know when times are tough, Hall can step up.
Now, let’s talk about that contract. It’s a moot point for this article. We are not going to strip Greene just to go through another Zach Parise situation. The Devils would wait until next offseason to make this decision, and they obviously wouldn’t name him captain prior to him signing a new contract. That’s why this is obvious.
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Hall would make a great captain, and would continue the NHL trend of putting the “C” on the team’s best player. Sure, maybe giving Hall the captaincy blocks Hischier or even Hughes from eventually getting it, but they don’t need it. They will be great players that can wear the “A” until Hall retires himself.