Ryan Callahan Named Tampa Bay Lightning Alternate Captain

Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper has named Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan as a permanent alternate captain for the 2015-16 season.

Tomorrow night, the Tampa Bay Lightning will charge into the Amalie Arena in order to do battle with captain Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers in the Tampa Bay Lightning Home Opener. Unlike last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be heading into tomorrow night’s encounter with at least one of their alternate captains in place.

According to Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer Joe Smith, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper announced that Lightning right wing Ryan Callahan will wear an “A” on his jersey this season as he has been named a permanent alternate captain for the Lightning’s 2015-16 season.

This is definitely a change from the 2014-15 season. As most of you remember, Tampa Bay Lightning fans waited, and waited, and waited some more for the Tampa Bay Lightning to announce their alternate captains, but the announcement we all waited for never came.

Instead, Cooper elected to rotate alternate captains throughout the season.

Callahan has plenty of experience in a leadership position on a team. Before coming to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Callahan was a member of the New York Rangers. Just before the start of the 2011-12 season, Callahan was named the 26^th captain of the Rangers.

At least for the time being, it seems as if there will be at least a little reminiscence of last season. According to Smith, the second alternate captain position will rotate throughout the season. There are plenty of players on the Tampa Bay Lightning who would be acceptable choices for the second alternate captain position. Players like Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Victor Hedman are just a few that come to mind.

Personally, we would like to see someone like Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman wear the other “A” on his jersey this season. Hedman is greatly respected in the locker room, and over the course of the last few seasons has dramatically improved his game to become a solid two-way defenseman who has been revered as a solid candidate to win this year’s Norris Trophy.

It will be interesting to see which players will wear the “A” over the course of the 2015-16 season. Right now, there are plenty of viable candidates. Hopefully, as the season progresses we will be able to get a better look at which players will rise to the occasion and may at some point wear the “A” on a more permanent basis.

What are your thoughts on Ryan Callahan wearing the “A” on a permanent basis this season? Which player(s) do you think would make a stellar second alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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