Sometimes you just need to acknowledge the obvious.
Yes, some might bristle at the idea of Connor McDavid becoming the captain of the Edmonton Oilers at age 19. Maybe it would advance the argument that the franchise has been guilty of giving young players too much too soon.
On the other hand, would it be any more honest to hand the “C” to a veteran just because, especially after things went so disastrously for Andrew Ference?
McDavid is a focus for the Oilers, and might be their biggest leader already. He’s already a selling point for the likes of Milan Lucic.
Those are considerations that the Oilers are likely batting around as they consider their next captain, but interestingly enough, it’s not the only McDavid captaincy question that head coach Todd McLellan must ponder.
McLellan acknowledged the possibility of the 19-year-old wearing the “C” for North America to Postmedia Network’s Michael Traikos.
“The captain of the Oilers? We’ll figure that out at training camp,” McLellan said. “The captain at the World Cup? We’ll find out this week.”
As much as people make anthem/lack of history jokes about World Cup squads like Team North America and Team Europe, that really would be something: McDavid possibly being named the captain of two significant groups ... maybe in the same month.
That isn’t likely to be the most impressive accomplishment of the budding superstar’s career, but it might just be the most unique.
If he dons either “C,” mind you ...
(H/T to The Score.)