Captain Keller or Captain Crouse?

[Mosby]

Curious to see who this forum would choose as the next captain of the Arizona Coyotes if it was a choice of either Clayton Keller or Lawson Crouse.

Looking to limit it to those two and not additional options or outside possibilities like Auston Matthews.

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[The Feckless Puck]

I'd say Crouse, with Keller as assistant captain.

 

[Summer Rose]

The C in Crouse stands for Captain!

 

[Schemp]

this is a little premature. Let's wait until we see what the roster is for next season 1st...

 

[Llewzaher]

Tough one ...

I am going Keller, that guy carried the team on his back ..

 

[Matias Maccete]

Let's not rush to name one. I'm down for McBain potentially long term.

 

[Jagged Ice]

I was thinking McBain too. Keller never really struck me as a captain/leader type. Crouse maybe, but is he part of the future of this team? Maybe we should kick the can for Cooley or rotate captains for a few seasons.
Going with neither which isn't an option.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

The C is not an empty honorific, The role of captain can be very distracting with needed interface with the media, the coaches, the management, and of course seeing to the room. Keller is our best scorer. I would hate to see captaincy cause a decrease in his production. Give Keller an A.
I vote Crouse.

 

[XX]

C needs to be able to fight. I have always hated making the best player the captain. There are a few exceptions, like Lidstrom, but for the most part the captain must be able to get dirty in the trenches. Crouse is ideal.

 

[GhostofTommyBolin]

The following statement only makes sense in hockey, and everyone will know what I mean...

To me, Crouse just feels like more of a Captain than Keller does.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

I cannot emphasize enough how unimportant the naming of the "C" actually is. Everyone in the locker room knows who the leader of the team is and typically management will name that person as the "C".

But I know first hand, that it takes a group of players to lead a locker room, so as long as the leadership group is strong, I see no reason to actually assign a "C" unless their is a clear cut leader that everyone follows. Otherwise, I'm ok with running w/a bunch of As

 

[Dirty Old Man]

C needs to be able to fight. I have always hated making the best player the captain. There are a few exceptions, like Lidstrom, but for the most part the captain must be able to get dirty in the trenches. Crouse is ideal.

I understand the sentiment, because our longtime beloved C could and did, but I'm not sure it's always the case (i.e. more than a few exceptions)... here are the number of majors taken career by the current 24 Cs, and I would say some of the lower numbers are good leaders, too:

FLA Barkov 0
DAL J Benn 34
NYI A Lee 13
BOS Bergeron 2
OTT B Tkachuk 27
SJS Couture 3
PIT Crosby 7
NYR Trouba 19
CBJ Jenner 8
TOR Tavares 1
CAR J Staal 5
LAK Kopitar 0
BUF Okposo 4
COL Landeskog 17
DET Larkin 8
EDM McDavid 1
NJD Hischier 1
WAS Ovechkin 7
NAS Josi 2
MIN Spurgeon 0
TBL Stamkos 5
VGK M Stone 5
MTL Suzuki 1
CHI Toews 9

For the record, right now it's Crouse 18 and Keller 1.

I voted Keller, but I'd be fine with Crouse, no doubt. I know there are others with that nickname "the Sheriff", but I really like it for him, and it works in a place like Arizona with our old west history.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Captain Clayton.

 

[Sciamachy]

Small sample and all, but thus far Keller is the one that raised his game when in the playoffs. Crouse may be more physical but he hasn't completely taken over a game the way Keller has. Impossible to know what all is done off ice (helping new guys, off ice team functions and such) which also plays a role in this, not just on ice performance. I'd say Keller right now.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

Crouse or Kells for now but let's not forget Hayton in this, former captain and key performer of a winning, massively under pressure, Canada world junior's team.

 

[Art.Vandelay]

Before this year, I would easily have said Crouse. But Keller stepped it up across the board. He was amazing on the ice and everything I read was that he was great in the locker room too.

 

[LuckyNumber11]

C: Crouse
A: Keller
A: McBain

Feels like a really good leadership trio in my opinion

 

[MIGs Dog]

C needs to be able to fight.

I think Wayne had one fight.

 

[rt]

Matthews.

 

[Kaizen]

I think Wayne had one fight.

View attachment 706853

And I'm sure he lost.

 

[RemoAZ]

C needs to be able to fight. I have always hated making the best player the captain. There are a few exceptions, like Lidstrom, but for the most part the captain must be able to get dirty in the trenches. Crouse is ideal.

I agree. Unless the player is a Crosby or even McDavid type that no one would physically challenge anyway because of the talent and universal respect he has, the Captain needs to be able to have everyone's back when liberties are taken. Having OEL in that role was bad for this team. Some of our players were getting destroyed on a nightly basis. Crouse would step in sometimes but as Captain I believe he'd not only step up more consistently, other guys on the team would follow making it less and less necessary. Nobody was following OEL. Keller doesn't have that or even the personality to be the face of an NHL team imo. No hate for the guy, I just don't see him filling any part of that role unless you think being the best offensive player on the team is a prerequisite which I don't.

 

[Kai Yo T]

Not a fan of either wearing the C, but I begrudgingly chose Crouse. Rather just go without a Captain again this upcoming season though.

 

[Mosby]

There are lots of past captains with many cups and no fights.

 

[lanky]

There are lots of past captains with many cups and no fights.

None in AZ though, so why start now?

 

[rt]

There are lots of past captains with many cups and no fights.

Don’t think Sakic, Yzerman or Lidstrom were much for fighting.