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Should Arnott have the captaincy taken away?

Image (1) Arnott-thumb-250x166-10622.jpg for post 1346

One of the better team blogs on the internet poses an interesting question tonight, as the guys at On The Forecheck ask whether the Nashville Predators should take the captaincy away from Jason Arnott. In the wake of yet another disappointing postseason for the Predators, despite their continued regular season success, it’s understandable to start looking what exactly needs to change for the Predators to take that next step.

Taking cues from a Barry Trotz press conference in which he speaks of how giving Arnott the captaincy was basically a move out of necessity and not one that was made because of his natural leadership. Here are a few of the reason Chris Burton gives to make the move:

- Arnott’s on ice leadership seems to be lacking. He doesn’t always give 100%, gets angry when a call or play doesn’t go his way, and seems to sulk when he goes through a rough patch.

- For the sake of the young players. Arnott doesn’t assimilate with young line mates and has gotten upset when not paired with Steve Sullivan or J.P. Dumont. Players like Colin Wilson and Patric Hornqvist need leadership and encouragement, not discouragement.

The first reason he gives, the lack of a consistent effort, is exactly why Arnott should never have been given the “C” to begin with. He’s just not a player that screams “team leader” and the Predators have yet to really take that next step with Arnott leading the way. OTF asks a number of other bloggers who’s teams have made similar moves, including looking at the changes the Sharks and Stars have made in changing their captains between two current players on the team.

This is an example that just because a player is the most talented guy on a team it doesn’t exactly mean they deserve the captaincy. Mike Modano was long the best player on the Stars and while it wasn’t exactly handled the right way, there’s no doubt making the switch to Brenden Morrow was the right one.