The Pequod was the name of the boat in Herman Melville’s novel, “Moby Dick”, captained by Captain Ahab. The Pequod is a named after a Native American tribe that did not survive long after the arrival of the Europeans, symbolizing extinction. The Pequod, the ship is a harbinger of doom. It is painted black and covered in the whale teeth and bones that it hunts with motifs of death. Today, we talk about the next possible appointments to the sinking ship that is the Flyers organization.
Claude Giroux was the Flyers’ captain from 2013 to 2022. That ended with his trade to the Florida Panthers last week. The Flyers organization failed by not putting enough talent around Giroux or not trading him when his value was at its highest after his almost-MVP season in 2018. General Manager Chuck Fletcher did not use his previous 20 years as a general manager to extract the very best return for the franchise’s top player since Eric Lindros. Being captain of the Flyers franchise is a prestigious honor. Claude Giroux has a chance to be the sixth Flyers captain to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Eric Lindros, Peter Forsberg, and Chris Pronger have all made the Hall of Fame and worn the “C” in Orange and Black.
I have always believed that the captain of a team should be their best leader and not necessarily their best player. In hockey, it seems that there is a stigma if your best player is not your captain for whatever reason. Is Connor McDavid the best player on his team? Yes. Is he the best leader of men on his team? I am not sure, but if he did not wear the “C” then people would automatically assume that he was a bad leader or not a good leader. Sidney Crosby has been a captain since he was 20 years old. Likewise, with Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks. Can you watch a national game without hearing that Jonathan Toews was the youngest captain in Blackhawks history? No, you can’t, Toews brushes his teeth to that line. It is engraved in hockey lure. Some players were meant to be captain and some players have it thrust upon them.
Let’s look at the possible next captains for the Philadelphia Flyers. The first options are the homegrown and signed long-term Flyers. The longest tenured is Sean Couturier. He has played over 700 games in the Orange and Black and has been signed to a long-term extension by the current leadership group. Couturier would be a fine choice and knows what it takes to be a leader. He might even be the best player on the roster. Joel Farabee also signed a long-term extension recently and Claude Giroux thinks that Farabee will break his records one day. While Farabee is young and his spot is secure on the roster, it might be best to let him focus on developing his game and letting him be the best player he can be.
Which brings us to some defensemen; Ivan Provorov and Rasmus Ristolainen. There is only one Finnish and Russian born captain in the rest of the NHL, Florida’s Aleksander Barkov and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin. In fact, there are more Swiss-born captains (Roman Josi and Nico Hischier) in the NHL than every nationality except Canadians and Americans. This does not disqualify either Ristolainen or Provorov but it seems to not be the industry standard. Both are good players that log a ton of minutes and it is easier to lead by example when you are on the ice more. It would be surprising, but not unfounded if either Ristolainen or Provorov wear more than an “A” next year.
Then we have the NHL veterans in Kevin Hayes and Cam Atkinson. Both were acquired by the current leadership group and given assistant captain duties. Hayes is a fan favorite and Atkinson has shown a will to win at every level he has played at. Either player would be a solid choice to wear the “C” but would seem like a place holder for someone like Farabee or another young player. The wild card is that the Flyers do not assign the captaincy to anyone and re-sign Claude Giroux in the offseason and just have a seamless transition back to the old guard.
All those choices would be fine and I doubt anyone would have a problem with anyone above being the next Flyers captain. There is one choice who was not mentioned and fits a lot of criteria of the players above. Enter Scott Laughton. Laughton is a homegrown player who has been in the Flyers organization since 2013. He is a player that you hate to play against and love to have on your team. Laughton was also re-signed to a long-term contract by the current leadership group and does whatever it takes to win. If the team needs a wakeup call, he is usually the player with a big hit or fight to awaken the other players. He is one of the more vocal players on the team. Laughton is not one of the most skilled Flyers, but his value to the team is that he can play anywhere in the lineup in any situation. Laughton can be the bridge to a younger, future captain as well if Farabee or Cam York become the go-to leaders and players of this team.
Whoever the next captain is, it needs to be a player who does not take games or plays off and wants to win above all else. Maybe someone like Captain Ahab who had a fierce demeanor and never-say-quit attitude against stacked odds.
