Last year, during the Montreal Canadiens' annual charity golf tournament, fans and media alike were surprised by the organization's decision to go with four alternate captains as opposed to naming a single captain. That proved to be the right call throughout the last season, with Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec, PK Subban and Max Pacioretty all shouldering the weight of leadership on a team that has no lack of it. Of course, if you could place a letter on a goalie's jersey, it would be safe to assume that Carey Price would have one as well.

Thursday morning, when asked about the captaincy, general manager Marc Bergevin bluntly said that there will absolutely be a captain named this year, by the end of training camp. Much (too much?) has been made about who the next captain should be, and I've already touched upon who my ideal choice would be.

Here are a few quick hits from the golf tournament:

1- It's almost a given that Max Pacioretty will be named captain. During his interview with Marc Denis of RDS, he spoke with a confident humbleness, claiming that he will accept the decision of the organization should they choose to go in a different route. As most members of the media will tell you, Pacioretty is an absolute treat to interview in that he's always very honest and places the team before himself. When they need someone to tell it like it is, #67 has always been the media's go-to guy. I don't see that changing.
He started skating on Wednesday, and is bent on being on the ice when the puck drops at the start of the regular season. I don't expect him to play during the pre-season, but Pacioretty has surprised most of us in his ability to recuperate from injuries in a shocking manner.

2-24-year-old Zack Kassian , acquired in a trade that sent Brandon Prust to Vancouver this summer, is confident going into the next season having fully rehabilitated his back injuries which have been nagging him from the start of his career. A first-round pick, Kassian acknowledged that there is a lot for him to prove, and agreed when asked if he considers himself an underachiever thus far. He plans on contributing offensively as much as possible, while bringing a physical edge to his game that has often been lacking last season.

3- Carey Price, staying true to his calm and collected self, praised his teammates for the excellent defensive hockey they played last year. He was one of the biggest proponents in bringing Jeff Petry back long-term, and he truly believes that the addition of Kassian and Alexander Semin will help with the powerplay, which he believes is what ultimately led to the Habs' demise in their second-round exit at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

4- Alexander Semin was visibly nervous while fielding questions at the golf tournament. He explicitly said that this was the first time that he faced so many cameras at once, and you could tell that being asked about his past performances and future expectations made him uncomfortable. He spoke about forgetting about his falling out with the Carolina Hurricanes, and joked about choosing Montreal because he likes Russians and there are two other Russians on the team.
He did not, however, seem to be all that interested in turning his career around, based on his body language and slow answers. Perhaps we could chalk it up to the jitters, but I was far from impressed with the player who was brought in to potentially re-find his greatness by filling in slots on the first two lines and on power play duty. The good news is his injured wrist is 100% rehabbed, and he gets to play on a line with Alex Galchenyuk...

5- Probably the biggest news out of the golf tournament was Michel Therrien and Marc Bergevin making it clear that Alex Galchenyuk will definitely play at the center position. I know what most of you are thinking: "finally!", and I agree with that sentiment.
In June, Galchenyuk and Therrien sat down together in order to have an informal disucssion on what Galchenyuk's role will be next year. Evidently, this was a wise move by the head coach, as it allowed #27 to focus on improving habits and certain skills over the course of the summer in consequence. Also, it gave him the opportunity to know exactly where he stands and what's expected of him, as opposed to always wondering where he belongs.

With the start of training camp one week away, all of the players were in good spirits and many claimed that the ultimate goal this upcoming season is to win the Stanley Cup. That winning attitude and their high expectations should prove to be setting Habs fans everywhere up for a great season of hockey.

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