Since the departure of fan favourite Brian Gionta the Canadiens have found themselves without a captain. In 2014-2015, for the first time in franchise history, the Habs decided to roll with four alternate captains. Veterans Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov each wore an “A” permanently, while Max Pacioretty and PK Subban shared the third “A”, Subban in home games and Pacioretty on the road for the first half of the season, and vice versa for the second half.

Heading into the the new season the Canadiens have yet to announce a captain, and some believe that they might keep last year’s leadership foursome as is and wait another year to change things up.

However, I believe the Habs should have a main leader. Here are some possible choices for the next Canadiens captain:

Max Pacioretty: Max is the Habs sniper. Always the leader in goals and often the leader in points as well. Pacioretty showed a lot of leadership ability on and off the ice wearing the “A” this past season, and he is very well liked around the room and the organization.  He is also great with the media, never showing any anger or hate towards other players within the league. A prime example of this attribute is when Zdeno Chara almost took Pacioretty’s head off in a scary hit along the boards in 2011. Since then ,Pacioretty has become a whole other beast, scoring left and right for 124 goals since the injury.  Max’s age helps a lot too; at 26 years old he’s in his prime and will be for awhile.

Tomas Plekanec : Plekanec has been with the Canadiens for 10 seasons, playing more than 700 games and is a single point away from 500 for his career. Tomas is more of the “lead by example” type of leader; not the loudest guy in the room, but a respected one. At age 32, Plekanec is a veteran in the younger Canadiens locker room. After wearing the “A” this season, he has shown that he is ready to take on the “C”. Just like Pacioretty, Tomas is a well liked guy in the room and has been a mentor for young players like Gallagher and Galchenyuk. Some people might say that Plekanec has a leg up on he others due to his experience.  If Michel Therrien does decide to go with a veteran, Plekanec has very good chance.

PK Subban:  The Canadiens were in for a treat when then rookie PK Subban stole the show for the Habs in the 2010 playoffs. They knew that they had something special. PK is a star player for the Canadiens, with a Norris Trophy to his name already, and wearing the “A” for 41 games really helped Subban as he has become more responsible. He  has great chemistry with his teammates and he communicates well on the ice, calling plays, especially on the power play. He is great with the media and always respectful, and he even shows interest of the culture in Montreal. He has shown that he is ready to be the 33rd captain of the Canadiens.

To be a captain in the NHL is never easy, especially when it comes to the historic Montreal Canadiens, there are a lot of responsibilities to have this privilege. Who do you think should be the next captain?

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