Filling The ‘A’: Chris’ Pick For The Anaheim Ducks Next Alternate Captain
We here at Pucks of a Feather are nominating which players we feel should wear the ‘A’ next season and last but not least it is my turn to pick a player.
The Anaheim Ducks decided during this off-season that it was time to part ways with long time defenseman François Beauchemin. Beauchemin was part of the Ducks 07’ championship team, was an anchor on the Ducks blue-line, and a leader on and off the ice. His departure, though filled by Kevin Bieksa in the line-up leaves a vacancy in the leadership. Captain Ryan Getzlaf and Alternate captain Corey Perry need someone to fill that void.
Rich got us started selecting the a fore mentioned Bieksa as the choice for the second “A”. http://pucksofafeather.com/2015/07/28/filling-the-a-rich-picks-the-next-alternate-captain-for-the-anaheim-ducks/ . This is a great choice as it gives an A to a defenseman and Bieksa has been there before. He had an “A” in Vancouver and he’s a battle tested voice. He has been to numerous playoff series and though he suffered a defeat in game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final he’s been there and knows what it takes.
Griff selected Andrew Cogliano to get the “A” for next season, http://pucksofafeather.com/2015/07/28/filling-the-a-griffins-pick-for-the-anaheim-ducks-next-alternate-captain/ Another great choice as Cogliano is someone that everyone should emulate to be. His compete level and tenacity is unparalleled and makes him a great leader both by example and rallying the troops.
While both are great picks and would make great alternate captains I have a different choice,
Ryan Kesler
Yes it may be a trendy pick but Ryan Kesler having an “A” on his sweater is something the Ducks need. It’s true that you don’t need a letter to lead but giving Kesler the “A” would be one of the best decisions the Ducks could make. During Kesler’s exit interview he stated; “That this team wasn’t done and they need to come back pissed off.” Following his six year contract extension Kesler was quoted saying, “This group is not satisfied until we win a Stanley Cup. When we do win that Stanley Cup, I don’t think we’ll be satisfied then either. We’re gonna want another one. We have the group to do it. We have all the pieces. We just need to put them together. We were one game away from going to the Final, and that experience will help us next year.” He also stated, “We needed a killer instinct in Game 6. We didn’t have it. There are two ways we can go about it: We can sulk about it or we can learn from it. I’m gonna make sure, just like all the other leaders on this team, that we learn from this and we learn not to let it happen again. That’s our job as leaders on this team. That’s not gonna happen again, I’ll tell you that.”
You can bet without a doubt he will make good on all of that and this team will be ready from puck drop come October. Kesler is ticked about how last season ended and he knows his window won’t be open forever. He knows this team has what it takes and that they can not only win one but multiple Cups.
Last season was Kesler’s first in Anaheim and he virtually put the team on his back at times. He posted close to 50 points in the regular season and added another 13 in the post-season. He scored big goal after big goal in the regular season and playoffs, he was dynamite on the PP and PK, and when the Ducks needed something Kesler always seemed to provide the spark. When the games get bigger so does Kesler and the Ducks bringing him in may be one of the best moves they have ever made. He battles every second of every game, leads by example and you can bet his voice is one of the loudest in the room. Kesler has been in numerous big games and like Bieksa suffered a Game 7 Stanley Cup Finals loss. He knows how close he and the Ducks were last year and that this year they may be even better suited to finally capture their second title.
Giving Kesler the “A” would give the Ducks a leadership trio of Getzlaf, Perry and now Kesler. That could just be the trio that leads the Ducks all the way to a title.
Sound off! Who do you think the Ducks should give the second “A” to? Vote and leave your comments as well as Tweet and Facebook us!