Before I departed for vacation, I reached out to all of you, requesting your thoughts on the current Flames captaincy vacancy. After reading a lot of what you had to say, I feel as though I finally have a strong opinion on the matter.
Since Mark Giordano's departure became inevitable, I felt strongly that Calgary needed to immediately transition to a new captain. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I felt that way. Regardless, that is where I stood. However, after pondering the matter and reviewing what others said, my mind has changed.
The Calgary Flames should play the 2021-22 season without an assigned captain on their roster.
That does not mean the team does not possess players with the qualities that make them capable of serving as the franchise's next captain. I do think there are a few individuals who could fill the role right away. Still, the current state of the organization calls for a patient approach to appointing a captain.
Though Calgary employs a "win now" type of head coach, the actual state of this team is not that simple. Do we want to claim the Flames are a playoff-caliber organization? Of course, we do. Are they capable of securing a playoff spot in a weak Pacific Division? Yes, they are. Has Brad Treliving done enough to put this franchise in a position for a deep run? Well, maybe not.
Although I am not quite sure they have done enough, Calgary could very well turn things around this upcoming season. However, if they do not, the franchise will likely transition to a new General Manager and possibly engage in operation rebuild. If that takes place, who knows who will even remain on the roster.
The Flames do not want to assign a captain just for the sake of doing so. They also don't want to appoint someone who might not even be with the organization long-term.
To me, it just makes too much sense to wait a year, see where this team is, and then take a deeper look at who the next captain should be. Regardless, that person will have some huge shoes to fill.