In hockey, the role of team captain is more than just a ‘C’ on a player’s jersey.
A player wearing a big ‘C’ on the front of their jersey is supposed to be a player that can lead in the locker room and rally the troops towards greatness.
This doesn’t mean that the captain is necessarily the most talented player on the team, but they are a veteran who knows the game and the team better than anyone else.
Following the departure of long-time captain Shea Weber and single-year captain Mike Fisher, Roman Josi was given the reigns of the Predators’ captaincy before the 2017-2018 season. Josi had big shoes to fill, as Fisher led the franchise to its first Stanley Cup final in 2017.
Weber, the Predators’ longest-tenured captain, only ever led the team to the second round, but was an all-star and one of the best shutdown defenseman in the league during his prime.
During the first season of Josi’s captaincy, the Predators fought off the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division title and the President’s Trophy as the best regular season team. However, the Predators lost in the second round to the Jets in seven games.
With that being said, is Josi the best fit for team captain?
Make no mistake, if goalies were allowed to be captains in the NHL, the team’s captain would be Pekka Rinne.
Rinne, one of the biggest draft steals in recent memory, has been with the Predators organization since 2004. Nobody on the current roster has been around for as long as he has, earning a cult following in Nashville and many solid seasons under his belt, along with a Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goaltender in 2017-2018.
But if anyone else deserves the captaincy on the team, it has to be Josi.
Josi, who was drafted by the Predators 38th overall in 2008 and joined the roster in the 2010-2011 season, played alongside Weber for years, creating one of the best defensive pairings in the league.
The Predator’s defensive core under Josi and Weber has grown into arguably the best in the league over the last few years.
Josi was given the defacto leadership position on defense when Weber was traded away after the 2016-17 season. By the start of the 16-17 season, Josi had already been serving as one of the team’s alternate captains.
Now, Josi not only leads the defense but also the whole team. Not many other players on the team, with the exception of Rinne, give Josi that much of a run for his money. Josi is a solid leader of good character and great skill. He is also more often than not in the talks for the Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman.
Other highly talented players on the roster like Filip Forsberg and Ryan Ellis are good players in their own right, but don’t display the consistent leadership on the ice as Josi does.
Nashville has a strong leadership core with Josi at the helm, but only time will tell if the Predators made the right call in selecting him as team captain.
