Giving Anderson an “A”: An (Too?) Easy Solution

Maxime Truman
Giving Anderson an “A”: An (Too?) Easy Solution
Credit: Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images

The dust is slowly settling.

The rush of the draft, the trades that come with it, and the opening of the free-agent market are now a thing of the past.

It's time for a quiet period until September.

Kent Hughes's two biggest moves in recent weeks were extending Ivan Demidov's contract and the trade that sent Brendan Gallagher to Vancouver.

Gallagher wore an “A” on his jersey, just like Mike Matheson. With his departure, the team will need to name a brand-new assistant to captain Nick Suzuki.

During the playoffs, when Gallagher wasn't playing, Josh Anderson wore the “A.” Will the team simply decide to name Anderson as the alternate captain on a regular basis? It's possible…

That would be the easy option: Anderson is a veteran, he's well-liked in the locker room, he helps establish and maintain a strong team culture, and he plays the right way. However, Anderson has only one year remaining on his current contract; it would be back to square one in a year. The same goes for Phillip Danault, who would make an excellent assistant captain.

Tony Marinaro believes the “A” will be sewn onto Lane Hutson's jersey. He gives 100%, he's out on the ice early almost every day, and he leads by example.

There's also Kaiden Guhle, who might deserve such an honor, but the fact that he's often injured leaves me a bit perplexed.

My suggestion: Give the “A” to Josh Anderson—even if it's just for one year! That will give Lane Hutson time to gain a little more maturity and leadership, and then wear the first letter of the alphabet on the front of his jersey in 2027.

If we're willing to be patient with building the roster, why not be patient with identifying the team's leaders as well?

Here's hoping Josh Anderson didn't put his house on the market for hockey-related reasons!


In a nutshell

– Things are happening at CF Montréal.

– Interesting.

– NHL trade.

– The Ducks want to avoid a hostile offer sheet for Leo Carlsson.

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