The Rangers will enter the third consecutive season without a captain.
Head coach David Quinn announced on Wednesday that the team has appointed four substitute captains: Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba. Kreider and Zibanejad both wore “A’s” last season, but the departures of Jesper Fast (Hurricanes) and Marc Staal (Red Wings) left Rangers with two vacancies.
Panarin and Trouba both enter the second season on Rangers and are key members of the core team.
It has been speculated that Kreider or Zibanejad will give a “C” this season, after Quinn said the organization planned to “assess that situation” at the beginning of the training camp. But Kreider said the Rangers, who have not had a captain since Ryan McDonagh was assigned to the 2018 deadline, do not consider having a captain a big deal.
“It may not be something people want to hear, but I think it’s often [the captaincy] it’s more for fans than anyone else, “Kreider said in a Zoom call on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, you need a large group of leaders to be successful. I mean, there are a number of guys in our room who are ready to take on leadership roles. And as I said before, I think even some of the younger boys, boys who are in their second, third year, will be at a time when they have to drive, or get up and say the right thing in the locker room or lead for example on ice.
“We cannot have passengers if we are successful. You look back at the teams that have been successful in recent years, everyone knows their role, everyone buys and does their job as much as possible. These teams have incredible depth. As long as everyone is shooting in the same direction, I think we will be in good shape. ”
Zibanejad continued to train with the Rangers after giving positive results to COVID-19 at the start of training camp, but his status for Thursday’s opening season against the islands was still up in the air on Wednesday.
“We will have a clearer picture of what it will be,” Quinn said. “As for the minutes, this will be monitored during the game. Obviously, we know that he had COVID and everyone reacts differently to it, so it will definitely be a decision from one change to another ”.
Quinn has announced that debutant Igor Shesterkin will receive his first start in the 2020-21 season. The islanders are expected to start Semyon Varlamov.
The rangers officially named Morgan Barron, Anthony Bitetto, Colin Blackwell, Libor Hajek, Keith Kinkaid and Matthew Robertson to their taxi crew.