On the Fly: Who should captain North America?
"On the Fly," theScore's NHL roundtable series, checks in with a World Cup installment, discussing the vacant captaincy of Team North America.
The North Americans remain without an official leader. That'll be the case for a few more days, according to head coach Todd McLellan.
"We've spent all of about 12 hours together, 15, 18 hours," he told NHL.com's Tim Campbell in Montreal. "So it's hard to give you a timeline or an estimate."
So, while we wait, here are our picks for the man to wear the "C":
Brandon Saad
Craig Hagerman: Brandon Saad, not Connor McDavid, should captain Team North America at the World Cup.
Yes, it makes sense for McDavid to lead the team, since he's the game's next prolific star and personality. But this is a tournament that will hinge heavily on experience and, well, he doesn't have much of it.
Meanwhile, Saad enters the tournament a 23-year-old veteran on the young squad. He's already got four NHL seasons and two Stanley Cup rings on his resume.
Saad knows what it takes to win, and played his first three seasons with one of the league's most revered captains in Jonathan Toews. Saad also has international experience, having played at the World Junior Championship and the U-18 Championship.
The Columbus Blue Jackets forward plays a solid two-way game and can be relied on in all situations. Who better to captain a young team built on offense? Plus, there will already be enough pressure on McDavid.
McDavid
Navin Vaswani: Don't overthink this, Mr. McLellan.
McDavid as captain simply makes too much sense, especially considering McLellan is behind the bench. His North American squad needs a captain, and so too do the Edmonton Oilers. In other words, this is the perfect audition for the coach's best player (on both teams).
Sure, McDavid's only 19, but in addition to proving in his first 45 NHL games that he's "The Next One" on the ice, he also proved adept at handling the pressure and expectations that came with being the No. 1 overall pick in a hockey-mad city like Edmonton.
The kid's already the face of the Oilers, especially after the Taylor Hall trade. He's already a veteran with the media, and is undoubtedly the face of the upstart North American squad, which is going to play fast, exciting, offensive hockey during the World Cup.
So, yeah, it's McDavid. It has to be. McLellan knows it. He's simply being diplomatic, and there's nothing wrong with that. But he knows.
Aaron Ekblad
Sean O'Leary: The only proof that Aaron Ekblad belongs on an Under-23 team is his birth certificate.
The 2014 first overall pick has blossomed into an anchor on the Florida Panthers' blue line, and will be relied upon heavily against top lines and during crucial situations.
North America's abundant skill up front has garnered most of the attention, but Ekblad should wear the "C" as a stabilizing force in a relatively thin defensive corps.
Building off a Calder Trophy in his rookie campaign, Ekblad notched a career-high in goals last season with 15, while averaging 21:41 of ice time for the Atlantic Division champions.
Ekblad is one of the game's most prominent young stars, and is surely in the running for Florida's vacant captaincy, so there's no harm in giving him a head start while the world is watching.