San Jose Sharks: McLellan Admits Uncertainty About Captaincy

With one game under their belt, the San Jose Sharks have proved that they can come back from a terrible playoff season swinging. The 4-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings was exactly what fans wanted to see for the start of the campaign.

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One main question remained unanswered by this home opener: who was going to take over as captain? No one was wearing the ‘C’ during the game, however there are four rotating alternates were named in Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski and Marc Edouard-Vlasic. At this point McLellan stated that he’s happy where the team is, however he needs to see who steps up when things begin to get rough before he can name a captain.

"“When we really get into a rainstorm, we’ll see what our team is made of and who steps up and how we handle it,” McLellan said. “It may take some time to get out of it, but it’s not always about the wins and losses, it’s how we handle things day in and day out.”"

McLellan also emphasized that the decision to label those four with A’s was taken very serious.

"“The four individuals that have been named, that took place with a lot of discussion with players collectively and individually. And, it took place with the coaching staff making decisions, as well. It just didn’t happen.”"

I was expecting a decision to be made by the start of the season, however it makes sense to hold off on a deciding for a brief period of time. Do I think the franchise should go the entire season without a ‘C’? Not at all, however analyzing how players handle the pressure of such a leadership role will benefit the team in the long run.

Personally I would love to see Joe Pavelski get his turn.