The Islanders are one of ten NHL teams without a captain.
They have a few options, and according to Dave McCarthy on NHL.com, who spoke with Isles GM Mathieu Darche, they could have their next leader before the team opens the season on Sept. 30.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we do, (but) there’s no rush on that front. We have a lot of leaders on our team. We have former captains, so I’m not worried about the leadership on our team, that’s for sure,” Darche said via the article.
This could mark their first year without a captain since the 1996-97 season, when Patrick Flatley left the team; that was 30-years-ago. (Also, the case for half a season after the Islanders traded Bill Guerin away in 2008-09). Now they enter that same uncertainty heading into next season with the departure of Anders Lee, who left in free agency, signing with the Utah Mammoth.
One of, if not their most integral players of the team’s future, Matthew Schaefer, isn’t looking to don the ‘C’ on his chest just yet. McCarthy spoke with the soon-to-be 19-year-old at the 12th annual Smilezone Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club. Contrary to former Islanders legend Bryan Trottier, who believes Schaefer is a ‘terrific kid’ who would ’embrace the opportunity.’ Trottier also noted that a player’s game also leads by example, and the former assistant captain with his OHL club, the Erie Otters, has done just that in his NHL rookie season.
Although the very personable and outgoing Schaefer has demonstrated extremely mature qualities at such a young age, his play also heightens his case for being a leader on Long Island. Scoring 23 goals for nearly 60 points, he became the youngest Calder Trophy winner in NHL history, the sixth Islander to win the award, joining franchise legends like Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, and Mat Barzal.
He is only the fourth defenseman selected first-overall to win the award, alongside Aaron Ekblad and fellow Islanders blueliners Potvin and Bryan Berard. He unanimously won the Calder Trophy and was the first to do so since Teemu Selanne in the 1992-93 season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Signs point to Schaefer as a tenured Islander as of right now, but for the time being, he’s still young and on an entry-level contract. He’d prefer to focus on the hockey and learn from his teammates; two of whom, he reffered to in options for the role.
who have all been captains and are all our leaders too. I’m still young so I’m in no rush,” Schaefer told NHL.com.
As my colleague Bradley Keith points out in his Eastern Conference Captain Candidates article, the Islanders also have the luxury of two recent past captains in Bo Horvat (Vancouver) and Brayden Schenn (St. Louis). The Islanders took big swings in bringing over both the former Blues and Canucks captains in package deals that included first-round picks and players.
The difference between the two is the term they’re signed to in the organization’s books. Horvat, shortly after his trade, signed an eight-year, $68MM ($8.5MM AAV) contract that is entering its fourth season with New York. Schenn, however, doesn’t boast the time spent on Long Island in the organization like Horvat has, only carrying two years left at a $6.5MM AAV.
It’s most likely that Horvat will get the captaincy based on those previously mentioned intangibles. However, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see younger NHL players get the ‘C’ stitched on their jersey very early into their careers. Of note, Connor McDavid, Gabriel Landeskog, and Sidney Crosby were all of the same age, in the latter days of being 19-years-old, when they were named captains.
Defensemen in the current NHL landscape aren’t usually wearing the C, only four NHL teams have defensemen as their primary leaders. Roman Josi earned the honor for the Predators at age 27 in the 2017-18 season and is the longest tenured blueline captain. Jared Spurgeon was named Wild captain in 2020, when he was 31.
Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin both were awarded their respective team’s captaincies, with Dahlin 10-years younger than the then 34-year-old Hedman.
If the Islanders went this route with Schaefer, he’d be the fifth defenseman and the youngest with captain honors in the entire NHL.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images