The Race For A Rangers Captain Continues

Is Adam Fox too soft, too taciturn, too indecisive to become the Rangers next captain?

If the answer is "not at all," then why hasn't the defenseman who comes close to being Mister Blueshirt not gotten the big C?

Former player and longer-than-longtime coach Harvey (Hutch) Cohen must be wondering the same thing from his New Jersey hacienda. 

"Fox should be the new captain," says Cohen, a distinguished member of The Maven's Roundtable And Inner Circle. "Being captain would give Adam the incentive to concentrate on his defensive play and power play quarterbacking."

Then, a pause and more hear-this from Hutch: "I call it a sort of 'Do As-I-Do' set up. And, by the way, my picks for the Alternate Captain roles are Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle. 

"Trocheck has served as the 'de facto' captain all along and Cuylle plays the game the right way. Granted, this may cause a problem with J.T. Miller but he's just arrived. In Miller's case the C's and A's should be earned, not given."

While he's at it, Cohen offered his two-cents worth about the Blueshirts' worthless power play which opponents have figured out and what hurt the New Yorkers as much as anything this past season.

Cohen: "The power play did not adjust to attack what the opposition was giving. Furthermore, the D-zone was man-to-man and the Rangers were not able to adjust to the legal pick plays and thus there were open men.

"Sometimes Rangers players bumped into each other. They didn't show the ability to cohesively switch men when a legal pick was set."

Maven Round Table member George Grimm disagrees with Hutch. 

"I've never considered Adam Fox to be a leader," Grimm asserts. "He's like Brian Leetch was as a captain. I believe that Fox would feel uncomfortable wearing the C. 

"I'd go with Trocheck. Of all the 'Fat Cats,' Vinnie was the most productive during the season. (That's not counting Panarin who's not a captain  candidate.) Vinnie has been here long enough to earn the respect of his teammates. 

"He's the least likely of the veterans who Drury would like to dump. Plus, Trocheck would also have support of his buddy, 'Sergeant At Arms' J.T. Miller who hasn't been here enough. Cuylle is the "Captain IN Waiting'"

Speaking of "waiting," what the heck are they waiting for – the cows to come home.

Or, do we have to wait until October before the grand, captain-knighting takes place. (P.S. The Maven just checked; Mark Messier is not available.)