Multiple reporters* indicate that the Nashville Predators will name their captain (and alternates) on Wednesday.
Mike Fisher briefly held the title, and before him, Shea Weber wore the “C.” Both were safe, obvious choices; this time around, there are some intriguing options. The Tennessean’s Adam Vignan reports that the Predators themselves realize that there are quite a few logical captains in their midst (which probably isn’t a bad problem to have).
“It’s totally different this time around,” Pekka Rinne said. “I think Mike last year, I think everybody saw that coming. Everybody agreed. Everybody was really comfortable with it. I think now we have, in my opinion, at least four great options to choose from.”
Note: the Predators would be wise not to pull a Canucks with Roberto Luongo as captain experiment, even if Rinne’s easily one of the team’s leaders.
Some of the most obvious options include young-yet-veteran defenseman Roman Josi, big-dollar-center Ryan Johansen, and star blueliner P.K. Subban.
(Honestly, though, it’s difficult to imagine Subban wearing the “C” after all the weird, Listerine-scented stuff with the media happened during the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.)
As strong as those options are, it sure feels like Josi is the favorite, especially since he’s been around longer than Subban, Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson.
Vegas oddmakers agree:
Vegas odds for next preds captain
— Smashville's Finest (@501Broadway) September 18, 2017
Josi -150
Subban +120
Johansen +250
And so do reporters covering the team on a day-to-day basis:
I, also, agree with Jim https://t.co/73kOYTsJQO
— Kristopher Martel (@kmartel_sports) September 18, 2017
One moment of devil’s advocacy, though: Subban, Johansen, Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, and Mattias Ekholm all have more term on their contracts than Josi, who is a bargain at $4M for three more seasons.
OK, that’s kind of a weak argument, but hey ... sometimes it’s a pain to have to deal with captain questions so often, and you never know if the team might determine that Josi is expendable, considering their deep war chest on the blueline.
Nah, Josi’s probably the easy and correct choice. Right?
* - Including Cory Curtis of WKRN-TV and Justin Bradford of 102.5 The Game.