The Anaheim Ducks have appointed 31-year-old forward Ryan Kesler as an alternate captain, the team announced on Thursday.
He joins captain Ryan Getzlaf and alternate captain Corey Perry as the team’s leadership trifecta.
Kesler, who got a fat ol’ six-year, $41.25 million extension from the Ducks this summer, said, “It’s an honor. It’s special. I’m going to wear it with pride and lead by example.”
Boudreau, in a vanilla statement, said of the appointment, “He’s an intense man who does all the right things and wants to win. That’s a leader to me.”
Kesler’s six-year deal is a piece of the pie here. The team is committed to him and sees him as a part of their leadership group that will help the Ducks get over the hump in the playoffs.
That’s fine. Kesler fits the team’s style of play, by all accounts is a good leader in the locker room, addressed some of the Ducks’ depth issues from previous years and makes the team significantly better. But in three years? Four years? He may or may not wear the “A” then, but that contract is going to need a good bleaching, because it stinks.
NEWS: @Ryan_Kesler named alternate captain; joins Ryan Getzlaf (captain) and Corey Perry (alternate captain). pic.twitter.com/8QiFPVklET
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 8, 2015
RELATED: Anaheim Ducks Next Ones: Top 10 Prospects
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
