With the final hours ticking down, the Blue Jackets have announced their assistant captains for this season, and while some of the names were expected, there’s a bit of a surprise as well.
Obviously, Rick Nash remains the team’s captain, with R.J. Umberger continuing his role in the room as a permanent assistant, but the second “A” will be handed out on a rotating basis between C Antoine Vermette, newcomer Jeff Carter, and D-man James Wisniewski.
For Carter, this continues the leadership role he held with the Flyers, where he served as an assistant to former captain Mike Richards, while this is, I believe, the first time Wisniewski has been named a captain at the NHL level. While Wisniewski is still dealing with his 8 game suspension, he’s made a positive impact by continuing to work with the team’s defense and offering mentoring to the younger players. It seems like he’s taken his role as a leader on this club seriously, and I look forward to seeing that on the ice in game action as well.
The new leadership group will see their first test tonight, when they take on the Nashville Predators at 7pm. We’ll have a full game preview coming up for you shortly! Please keep checking back with us as we prepare for the puck to drop!