Are Captains Overrated?

Flyers are in search for their 20th Captain in team history. Who on the current roster is going to step up into that role? Flyers captains have a history of being one of the most liked players by both the players and fans.

Let’s first take a look at why we are without a captain.

Captaincy

With the trade of former captain Claude Giroux last March, the vacancy for captain remains open. Giroux was named as the captain in 2013 and remained such until last season. He served 9 years as the Philadelphia Flyers Captain, which makes him the longest serving captain in Flyers history, passing Bobby Clarke in 2020.

Candidates for Captain

Let’s take a look at possible candidates for the Flyers captaincy.

Sean Couturier

Couturier is a home grown talent as the Flyers drafted him in the 2011 NHL entry draft. He shared a locker room with countless veterans so he knows what it takes to be a Philadelphia Flyers captain. With Claude Giroux being traded, Couturier is now the longest serving Flyer on the roster, however, Couturier’s injury history could potentially play a factor with who will be the next captain.

Kevin Hayes

Hayes is one of the most highly respected players within the league. Having a lot of experience in the playoffs is a good thing for the resume. His well balanced game helps build his reputation but unfortunately just like Sean Couturier, Hayes also has had problems staying healthy of late.

Cam Atkinson

Although only recently acquired by the Flyersl before the 2021-22 season, Cam Atkinson has been in the league for 11 seasons, having played 10 in Columbus and 6 for new Flyers coach, John Tortorella. With Tortorella as the Flyers head coach Atkinson can be the go-to player for advice regarding Tortorella and what he is expecting on the ice.

Are Captains Overrated?

The Flyers hired Tortorella in the 2022 offseason and today he was on 97.5 the fanatic, a Philadelphia Sports radio station. While being interviewed, one of the questions that was asked was “is a captaincy overrated to you in the league?”.

Tortorella’s response was that as a coach and in a coaching position that yes, it is overrated.

Full interview here.

After listening to that interview I began to wonder to myself if we as fans took the captaincy too serious?

Fans think having a captain is a necessity for a team competing to win a Stanley Cup and a team without a captain is a team that is looked down upon. The captain’s only true responsibility technically is being the player to talk to the referee on the ice. Point being that other players can also have “captain qualities” without wearing the C on their jersey.

For a complete list of the Flyers past captains click here.

Jeremy Adams is a writing contributor for HW Hockey
Photo: NBC Sports
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