REPLACING REILLY: Who will wear the ‘A’?

Reilly Smith was an assistant captain. Taking a look at who could wear the letter in the 2023-24 season.

LAS VEGAS – Reilly Smith’s departure left a hole in Vegas from a leadership standpoint.

Smith was an assistant captain, wearing the A whenever he was on the ice.

When asked about who can replace Smith for the assistant captain spot, Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said he will look to the forwards to see who can fill that void.

Alex Pietrangelo currently wears the A for the defensemen, and with leaders like Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb, there wouldn’t be a need to put another A on a defenseman.

So here are three viable choices for the assistant captain’s spot from the forwards:

WILLIAM KARLSSON: Karlsson has worn the A when Smith has been out of the lineup previously. It would make sense that Karlsson would be natural fit here. He is an original Misfit and understand the organization. The problem is with the A comes more responsibilities of the off-ice variety. There will be times when Karlsson will need to step up to the media and answer to why poor performances happen. Karlsson, while friendly, is not one to take time to speak at great depth about things, unless it’s about things outside of hockey. On the ice, Karlsson makes a perfect assistant captain, as evidence by his time when Smith was out. All in all, media responsibilities aside, Karlsson would make a great fit for wearing the A.

JACK EICHEL: Eichel was a young captain of the Buffalo Sabres. He has worn the A in the preseason and would make a logical choice to be an assistant captain. While Karlsson has the legacy, Eichel has the pedigree of being a former captain. He’s also adept at talking to the media, making him a good representative when things aren’t going well. He’s poised and controlled when talking to the media and on the ice, he’s able to communicate with the players. He would be a great fit to be one of Mark Stone’s right-hand men.

JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT: The longshot of the three, but offers the same things that Karlsson and Eichel. He’s an original Misfit. Good with the media. Talented enough to garner attention. He’s also been around the league a while, so his words will carry weight. If he gets the A, then it will be fitting for the Conn Smythe winner.

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