Ottawa won’t announce its third captain in as many seasons until the end of training camp, but one player is already throwing his hat in the ring.
“I’d love to have it,” veteran d-man Chris Phillips said, per the Ottawa Sun. “I said that last year and nothing’s changed.”
Phillips, 36, has spent his entire 16-year career in Ottawa and re-upped with the club on a two-year, $5 million extension in March. That’ll keep him in the Canadian capital through 2016, and given the instability surrounding Ottawa’s captaincy in recent years, there is a thought Phillips -- who’s served as an alternate for several seasons -- could be the guy moving forward.
In fact, Phillips was a touch disappointed he didn’t get the “C” last year, which eventually went to Jason Spezza.
“I wanted that responsibility, I wanted that role,” he said. “I think it’s quite an honor to be a captain in the NHL. So to say I wasn’t disappointed, it would be a lie.
“At the same time, Spezz wasn’t the wrong pick, he was the other pick. I said then, I’ll say it again, he was deserving of it as well.”
With Spezza now in Dallas, Phillips and fellow veteran Chris Neil appear to be two of the leading candidates for captain, though the likes of Erik Karlsson and Clarke MacArthur will likely garner consideration as well.