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Habs will name new captain before start of 2015-16

Max Pacioretty, Pk Subban,

Max Pacioretty, Pk Subban,

AP

After opting for four alternate captains during the 2014-15 season, the Montreal Canadiens are going to give one guy a “C” before the 2015-16 season begins.

GM Marc Bergevin said that the franchise’s 29th captain will be named by the end of training camp.

“We look for a leader who is respected by his teammates. I think that’s important,” Bergevin said on Thursday. “The transition that began last year has changed us a lot and has helped us make a decision as to whether the team was ready. And after a long discussion, we believe it is.”

“But who will it be?” screamed/typed the teeming the masses.

Sadly, no obvious foreshadowing took place. Neither Bergevin nor head coach Michel Therrien even dropped a hint regarding who will be the first captain since Brian Gionta left town.

Let’s not kid ourselves, though; it’s easy to at least identify the most likely candidates.

Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov served as the four alternates in 2014-15. You might be able to throw Carey Price’s name in the hat, even if the goalie-as-captain thing didn’t work out too well when Vancouver tried it out with Roberto Luongo. You might even throw in a dark horse candidate such as Brendan Gallagher.

Pacioretty, 26, may not get healthy soon enough to be ready to play on opening night, but he sounds game if management decides that he’s the guy.

“I think last year prepared me a lot for this,” Pacioretty told the team website. “I think whether you have a ‘C’ on your jersey or not, you are expected to lead this team and we expect everyone to be a leader but like I said, I would be honored if that opportunity came.”

Interestingly, PHT readers voted Subban as the right choice for Canadiens captain back in August 2014. What about today?