The Sabres have officially announced Brian Gionta as the next captain of the Buffalo Sabres. Joining Gionta as alternate captains will be Josh Gorges and Matt Moulson.
IT’S OFFICIAL: @Giostyle21 named #SabresCaptain, @jgorges26 & @MMoulson alternates. http://t.co/F3Nf7IDGuR pic.twitter.com/SshdRwYh4s
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 7, 2014
Of the three captains, none of them finished last season with the Buffalo Sabres. Moulson played part of last season with the team, and in his short time earned an “A” on his chest before he was sent to Minnesota at the trade deadline. Both Gionta and Gorges were off-season acquisitions.
Gionta was the captain of the Montreal Canadiens from 2010 until leaving to come to Buffalo this summer. Gorges also was an alternate in Montreal.
More surprising than those named may be those that were not named captains. Many players who have been with the Sabres for longer, like Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers, Cody Hodgson, and Tyler Ennis were all considered possibilities to at least wear an A.
The Sabres captaincy has been cursed in recent years, as Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, and Steve Ott have all traded the season they were captain. With Gionta under contract for the next three years, it looks like the C will stay in one place for at least a few years.
At the end of the day, no matter who the captains are, many are likely happy just because there won’t be any rotating of letters at all.