by Simon Servant, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — On July 1^st, Marc Bergevin slightly changed the face of the Montreal Canadiens by parting ways with his captain, Brian Gionta, while trading the player who could’ve been his successor, Josh Gorges.

Although the departure of Gionta seemed inevitable – especially at $4.2 million per year – the trade of Gorges came out of nowhere. It was followed by a shockwave on Twitter and Facebook where the “why?” was often used. Because Bergevin trusts his young group of players just like he’s learned during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Still, Habs fans are left without a captain, at least for now. Several names have been suggested, such as Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov or even young Alex Galchenyuk and P.K. Subban, but I’ll add another : Carey Price.

Price 3.0

It’s safe to say that Carey Price has been the pilot of a roller coaster ride in Montreal since his arrival in 2005. A ride that often divided the opinion of the fans. But I’m pretty sure the goaltender we saw this year is the one we will see for the next six or seven years.

He’s been booed during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, he’s been compared to Jaroslav Halak and he told the media he couldn’t do his groceries, but all of this happened before the 2013-2014 season.

This year, Price has proven he is an elite goaltender and he confirmed it with an Olympic gold medal and a lot of good starts in the playoffs. In my opinion, he’s at the top of his game and he’s at a point in his career where he’s ready to take a little bit more responsibilities.

Many fans believe it wouldn’t be a good idea to add all the pressure of a city like Montreal on his shoulders, but we’re miles away from the disorganized 2000’s team. Thanks to Bergevin, the Habs are a well-balanced team with a young core.

Except that this core, although it experienced many great moments over the last two seasons, is not yet ready to see one of its players have the “C” on the left of his jersey.

(Let’s state right here that Price even if named as captain of the Canadiens, he could not wear the “C” according to NHL Rule 14D which says that “no playing Coach or playing Manager or goalkeeper shall be permitted to act as Captain or Alternate Captain.”  But a captaincy for Price could work much the same as it did for Roberto Luongo in Vancouver, where one of the alternates could look after communication with the officials and for ceremonial duties.)

While we wait for a young to rise

Young captains are the trend in the NHL since the return of the 2004-2005 lockout. Right now, there are 24 captains and 13 of them were named while they were 25 years old or less. The average age is set at just over 29 years old.

The Canadiens’ future looks really bright and a few young players have already shown their importance within the organization. Players like P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk or Brendan Gallagher. However, for various reasons, none strikes me as a good choice for the 2014-2015 season. Let me explain.

In my opinion, Subban would make a really good captain, but it is undeniable that the head office doesn’t want to give him this title. For one reason or another, they are still looking to “break” him and the coach didn’t hesitate to put him in his doghouse by nailing him to the bench from time to time. Not to mention the tough contract negotiations with Bergevin. They want him to fit into the mold but even though P.K. is still flamboyant, he always gave credit to his teammates. It’s not his fault if journalists want his comments.

Like Subban, Max Pacioretty appears to have some misunderstandings with Michel Therrien. Obviously, Therrien would like for his captain to share his own philosophy in the dressing room. It would be very surprising to see Pacioretty wear the “C” next season.

At 20 years old, Alex Galchenyuk seems a natural choice for the next ten years, but I am convinced the Habs will wait at least another year, and maybe two, before giving him more responsibilities – a very bad idea. Same story for Brendan Gallagher, who has a heart as big as the Bell Centre, but who still needs to mature a bit.

A healthy dose of leadership

Bergevin stated that his young core had been around long enough to fill the recent loss of leadership, but if no immediate candidate will inherit of the role, what about the veterans?

I start with Andrei Markov. The Russian defenseman showed his loyalty by signing a new contract with Montreal and he can definitely teach a lesson or two to the players of the team. The problem is that after 13 seasons with the Habs, it only takes a few pages to summarize the comments made by Markov throughout his whole career. I heard fans complain about Saku Koivu because he wasn’t speaking French, what will happen if the captain doesn’t speak at all?

The name of Brandon Prust has also been suggested, but his situation is more precarious. Does the management want to have a captain who will sometimes skip a turn because he can’t find a spot in the top 12?

Finally, there is Tomas Plekanec. I think he has the best chance of becoming the captain. He’s been in the organization for more than ten years and he is a dedicated player who is liked by his teammates and his coaches. Like Markov, he acts as a leader on the ice rather than in the locker room. However, I would not hesitate to trade him before the end of his contract (in 2016) in order to make room for Galchenyuk in the middle. Knowing he would not figure in my short-term plans, I’d rather give the “C” to a player who will be around for years.

The Price of the inexperience

For this combination of reasons, I think Carey Price is not as crazy of a choice as some would think. Obviously, I don’t want him to be the captain for many years, but if Bergevin and Therrien believe it’s too soon to name a guy like Galchenyuk the new captain, why not begin the transition with our best player?

In many cases throughout the league, the impact player of a team also turns out to be its captain. This is not always a guarantee of success, but at least we know that Price is the most important player of the Montreal Canadiens and that his teammates have faith in him. It may only be symbolic but he can do the job for at least one year.

If this is the case, the 26 years old goalie would become the first goaltender since Roberto Luongo, in 2008, with the Vancouver Canucks, to be named a team captain and the first since Bill Durnan, in 1948, to be one for the Red, White and Blue.