Justin Abdelkader named alternate captain

Justin Abdelkader will always be a contentious topic among Red Wings fans. His true value is tough to determine for some and incredibly easy to understand for others. Either way, Abdelkader has been named as an alternate captain for the 2016-17 Red Wings.

Abdelkader being named alternate captain may leave some scratching their heads but compared to everyone else on the team, he is the right selection. He is the punching bag for the Red Wings, despite it all, he is still an okay player. He isn’t deserving of his contract and he isn’t a top 100 player in the league, nonetheless, he deserves recognition for his time with the team.

None of the young players like Dylan Larkin are going to be given the position due to their age. On a traditional squad like the Wings, those type of positions aren’t going to be given away easily, they need to be earned. 

The idea of any sort of captaincy is usually a joke. No one looks to any captain as a source of inspiration. You put the “C” on the best player and move on. Why not put the “A” on Abdelkader, he has been a loyal Red Wing and is being rewarded. It lends more credence to the old school mindset that surrounds the Wings, something we already knew about the organization. 

Moral of the story? Who cares, it is just a title. Just hope it doesn’t mean an expanded role for Abdelkader.