from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

With so many captains jumping ship (some were given a push) in the last 365 days, the scales of guidance have been rocked more dramatically than any other period in recent memory. While some teams (Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia) load up on players who have earned their ‘C’ legs, an incredible eight others drift aimlessly – captain-less for the interim.

Think about that: 26.7 per cent of NHL teams currently have a vacant ‘C.’

Another four NHL captains — Bryce Salvador (Devils), Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings), Claude Giroux (Flyers), Gabriel Landeskog (Avalanche) — have yet to hold the post for a full 82-game schedule. While the veteran Zetterberg is a natural for the role and led the Wings on a fantastic late-season run, Giroux and Salvador failed to captain good clubs back to the postseason, and Avalanche backup goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere proved to be a bolder dressing-room voice than Landeskog in 2013.

Consider, two more captains could lose their letters by the time the 2014-15 season rolls around.

Florida’s Ed Jovanovski is 37 years old. He played just six games for the Panthers last season and has been the subject of not just injuries but also buyout speculation.

Dion Phaneuf’s handle as point man in the Maple Leafs’ dressing room is tenuous, too.

more