Who Should Be The Next Captain

The Oilers Next Captain?

Andrew Ference is a good captain. He is well respected, does good work in the community, is a very hard worker and he has experience. Andrew Ference is not a good hockey player, there was a time when he was a pretty good second pairing defenceman for a playoff team but those days are over. Today Andrew is a bottom pairing player who is a little long in the tooth. Andrew has two years left on his contract and has a full NMC so unless he wants another chance at a Cup he is an Oiler for the next two seasons so you may be wondering why I'm bringing up a change in Captaincy. It's not too early to look to the future and if Ference loses another step he could be relegated to the press box, you do not want your Captain sitting in the press box.

The Oilers are a very young team and have several candidates for the C when the time comes. I will go over only a few possibilities and give a brief overview of what kind of Captain I perceive they would be. I'm not in the locker room so I can't speak to how they are in the room but that isn't going to stop me from guessing.

Taylor Hall
Taylor Hall is entering his 6th season as an Edmonton Oiler and also his 6th in the league. Taylor is the pick that kicked off the Oilers "rebuild" and is one of the more productive wingers in the league. Hall is a player that wears his heart on his sleeve and plays through pure emotion on occasion. He is always moving and almost always giving 100% when he's on the ice. He handles himself not bad in front of a camera and he seems to have the respect of his teammates, he doesn't seem overly vocal but not all leaders are.

Jordan Eberle
Jordan Eberle is also entering his 6th season in the league and as a member of the Oilers, Jordan was actually drafted two years before Hall and is one of the older members of the team. Eberle is an exciting player that brings people to their feet but he is also a player who conserves his energy so he appears "lazy" to some. He is excellent in front of a camera and has no problem with attention. He seems to be very respected and not just by his teammates but players and members of the league throughout.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
The Nuge is entering his 5th season in the NHL and like the previous two has been a career Oiler. Ryan is not like the other two and he seems shy or reserved most of the time. Some people are just quiet, Joe Sakic wasn't a loud player but he was an excellent Captain and the comparisons between Nuge and Sakic seem to be halfway accurate. Maybe there is a Captain in here somewhere.

Connor McDavid
Connor McFuckingDavid! The kid hasn't even laced em up for his first NHL game and he's already one of the most exciting players in the league, he has hands for days and speed to burn. There exists the possibility for him to be a top 10 player by the time he's ready for his second contract. It's hard to get a handle on him as he's very young but everything thus far has us led to believe he's a good leader. It would be hard to overlook "The Next-Next One" for Captain.

Darnell Nurse
Darnell is the last player I will profile because I don't want to do any more. Nurse has only played in two NHL games and that alone should disqualify him from this conversation, however he has many qualities of so many OEL Captains. He is a thoroughbred and can play half a game, it's good to have your Captain on the ice. He is mean and tough and will stick up for his teammates, that earns respect. He's a talented player, he's not just a passenger when he's on the ice, he can lead a rush or he can headman a puck and he has a pretty good shot. He also seems like the kind of person who isn't afraid to tell his teammates when they're doing something wrong.

Thank you for reading and fill out the poll. If you feel someone else should get it then feel free to post who and why in the comment section. Let the discussion begin!