Before the lockout came and took over the hockey headlines, there were a few captaincy spots to fill, and two of them appear to be filled as of today: one expected and one unexpected. First the unexpected: the Colorado Avalanche have named Gabriel Landeskog the new captain. If you recall, the Avs had Milan Hejduk as captain midway through the season. That would only last a few months, as Hejduk would tell the team that he wanted to step down as captain. As for Landeskog, it was only last year that he made a successful transition from the draft stage in 2011 to Calder Trophy winner in 2012. The fact that he hadn't turned 20 by the time he was named captain ought to come as a bit of a shocker, but given that Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews were named captains of their respective teams early in their careers, this is perhaps a sign that the Avs feel comfortable having a kid lead the team. After all, Landeskog did have the makeup to be captain someday, as the scouting reports made of him while he played in Kitchener of the OHL had him pegged as such.
As for the expected, the Detroit Red Wings have been in need of a captain since Nicklas Lidstrom retired in May. That search may be over, as the Red Wings are to announce that Henrik Zetterberg as the new captain sometime this week. This is no surprise, as Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk both served as alternate captains last season, and either one could have been named captain and the answer would still be right.
That leaves New Jersey and Florida as the only teams without a captain, and possibly Philadelphia, since Chris Pronger is likely to retire due to injury.
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