Filling the ‘A’: Rich Picks the Next Alternate Captain for the Anaheim Ducks
We here at Pucks of a Feather are nominating which players we feel should wear the ‘A’, starting with Rich’s pick!
When the Anaheim Ducks lost blueliner Francois Beauchemin to free agency, they not only lost their most experienced defenseman, but they lost an alternate captain, as well.
Since we here at Pucks of a Feather have no problem tossing our two cents around as if you asked for it, each of us has decided to nominate one player on the Ducks roster to wear the ‘A’ on his sweater for the 2015-2016 season.
Since I thought of the idea after being inspired by the following Tweet –
@PucksofaFeather who should fill in that vacant "A" position ?
— Luis (@l_morelos1) July 23, 2015
– I figured I would get the ball rolling by nominating
Kevin Bieksa, D
Normally, I would not be eager to name a player who is just joining the locker room an alternate captain. Sure, there are superstars who have earned the respect of the entire league; those guys pretty much have earned the right to wear a letter on their sweaters wherever their career might take them. But Kevin Bieksa is no superstar, and to that I usually say, the position of captain must be earned wherever you travel, regardless of what you have accomplished with other teams.
The problem with my philosophy? I firmly believe that one of the three players selected as captains of a team should play on the blueline. It’s not like this thought is revolutionary – most NHL teams have at least one defenseman wearing either the ‘C’ or an ‘A,’ with rare exceptions such as the Colorado Avalanche – and it’s not like I am total idiot about it, either. If Sidney Crosby were to join the Ducks today, then he would join Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry as the team captains, end of story.
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Still, with a defensive corps as young as the one in Anaheim, I really feel like there should be a captain in the midst of players such as Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Simon Despres and Hampus Lindholm. I guess I could default to Clayton Stoner, since he has already spent a year in the Ducks’ system . . . ha ha ha ha ha!
Kevin Bieksa it is!
After all, Bieksa was wearing the ‘A’ with Vancouver, and has played 597 regular season and 71 playoff games in his NHL career. It also helps that he chose to come play in Anaheim once it became clear that the Canucks were going to trade him – he wanted to come to SoCal and be a part of what the Anaheim Ducks are doing. That’s the sort of attitude that gets you an ‘A,’ my friend!
The Ducks need to find a third captain, and cultivate their outstanding, yet young, defensive group at the same time. Because of that, I nominate Kevin Bieksa to fill the void created by Beauchemin’s departure.
Make sure you check back in to see who Griffin and Chris nominate, then participate in our poll to see who Pucks of a Feather will officially crown as the second alternate captain of the Anaheim Ducks!