Dallas Stars Likely Candidates For Final Assistant Captain Gig

The Dallas Stars experienced a major overhaul in regards to leadership just days before the 2013-2014 season kicked off.

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The Stars named 24-year old forward Jamie Benn the newest captain of the organization after losing longtime captain Brenden Morrow in a trade the year before. While the NHL had already slowly begun to conform to naming younger players to higher leadership roles, it was surprising to see the Stars choose a young player when they had a lineup full of longtime veterans.

Along with Benn, Ray Whitney and Stephane Robidas received the assistant captain titles. Since then, the Stars have recycled through multiple assistant captains. They will be looking for another to fill the void again this season.

Last year, Shawn Horcoff and Trevor Daley primarily served as the assistants. When Daley went down with an injury for four weeks in March, Vernon Fiddler stepped in and took over the role. Now that Daley and Horcoff have both departed over the offseason, it is highly likely that Fiddler will serve as one of the two assistants in the upcoming year.

So that leaves one spot open, and there are plenty of other logical and legitimate candidates who could take the “A.” Throughout the Stars lineup, there are three players who truly stand out as contenders:

Jason Spezza:

Spezza is a highly regarded candidate with his mix of past leadership and The second line center will be entering his second season with the Dallas Stars and has some high expectations.

After a slow start to the 2014-2015 season, Spezza finally found his feet and finished the season on a strong note. A former captain for the Ottawa Senators, he is a determined player on the ice and always looking for ways to help out the younger players. Spezza would make a fine addition to the assistant captaincy, but will most certainly be a leader regardless of whether he has an “A” on his jersey or not.

John Klingberg:

This one could come as a bit of a surprise. But nonetheless, John Klingberg has put together a fantastic start to his career.

Alex Goligoski:

Now regarded as one of the longest tenured Dallas Stars, Goligoski has proven over the past few years that he deserves a leadership role.

Though he has struggled in the past, Goligoski is one of the most reliable defenders on the Stars, producing effective results on a consistent basis. In the final year of his contract, he will need to put together an impressive season if he wants to earn a new contract from Dallas.

Goligoski learned the ropes from Trevor Daley, a former assistant captain. Now that Daley is gone, it only seems logical to give his second-in-command the new title.

In the end, there are a few ways the Stars can go. There is a particular pattern that the Stars have conformed to since GM Jim Nill took over, and I expect them to take a similar path this coming year. This pattern is in regards to how the leadership roles are broken up. While the captain plays solely on the first line on offense, the two assistants seem to always be spread out through the rest of the team.

Nill usually gives one “A” to a veteran forward playing in the bottom two lines and the other to a defender. It’s smart to spread out the leadership and instill some in each part of the game. So while it is likely that a defender will receive the title, it’s still too early to be sure.

Either way, it is great to see that the Dallas Stars have plenty of competent leaders in their arsenal. It definitely helps in crunch time situations.

The regular season opener is just 10 days away. Seems like just yesterday Jamie Benn was clenching the Art Ross Trophy in the dying seconds of Game 82. It seems as though we have a special season ahead of us. Let’s hope it pans out as expected.

Next: Stars Cut/Move Down 17 Prospects In Latest Roster Reduction

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