In a move that came as no surprise but took a bit longer to occur, Ryan McDonagh, was announced as the 27th player to wear the “C” in Rangers' history. While others might have been good options, there is no question that McDonagh, 25, is deserving of the honor. As seen in the past few season, McDonagh has grown into the role as a leader, both on- and off-the-ice.
"i think I've progressed into being a go-to guy, someone teammates can look up to and someone they can count on,” McDonagh said during training camp. “I think guys see I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win… (Captain) is a big responsibility, too. It’s not just about on the ice but how you carry yourself off of it and represent the organization."
McDonagh was stolen from Montreal on June 30, 2009 along with Chris Higgins, Pavel Valenenko and Doug Janik for Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto. The Canadiens got P.K. Subban in the same 2007 draft as McDonagh, but McDonagh, drafted 12th that year, has also blossomed into a minutes-eating, top-pairing, shut-down and scoring defenseman. McDonagh is just entering his fifth season and prime of his career, and is signed at what looks to be a very cap friendly contract through 2018-19.
While he has been good for several years, last year, McDonagh took a major step forward. Mack Truck doubled his career high of goals in a season from 7 to 14 last year, while also adding 29 assists, to give him a career-high 43. in addition, 13 of those points were scored on the man-advantage, where he assumed a spot on the point of the top unit. McDonagh also led the Rangers in ice time (24:03) and blocked shots with 131. But he was just getting started.
McDonagh also played for Team USA in Sochi, adding to his impressive resume. While that honor and regular season were nice, he exploded in the playoffs. McDonagh, after a slow start following is return from injury, had 13 assists and 17 points in the playoffs, leading New York to the Stanley Cup Finals.
New York named Dan Girardi, Marc Staal; Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan as alternate captains. Girardi and Staal served as alternate captains last season while St.Louis, who has been a leader since coming to New York, was Tampa Bay's captain last season before getting dealt to the Rangers. Those four was rotate the A during the year and Stepan will be sidelined the first 10 games of the year after landing on LTIR due to a non-displaced fractured fibula. The last time New York had four captains was in 1994; hopefully it's a portend of good things to come.
My one criticism, as mentioned by others, is that this should have been announced in a press conference to afford McDonagh the spotlight he deserves, not in a press release at 8:30pm on a Monday.
It's fitting that the 27th captain in Rangers history will be #27 Ryan McDonagh.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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