Yo. Herein lies a feature that I've dubbed "Cycling". You know, to play off the blog name? Every so often, the venerable editors of this here blog will be passing the proverbial puck around on various NHL topics. Read on, and bash us in the comments.

1. Ryan Kesler was recently re-signed to a long term deal. Should he be given the Vancouver Canucks' captaincy?

Laura:

It really depends on how they play with Luongo as their captain.  I don't know if the Olympics tuckered him out or what, but he's been less than sharp since then.  I wouldn't be too surprised if the 'Nucks are going to have issues playing with confidence when their goalie *and* their captain both is playing like dead weight. But both Kesler and Luongo'll be around for a while... I'm not sure how Luongo'd react if the C got stripped and given to someone else - would he cry?  Because no one likes to see Luongo cry - usually it means that a playoff series's been lost.

Steve:

Well, there's no point in postponing the inevitable. As soon as the Canuck's season comes to an end, the topic of the captaincy will take on, "Lord of the Flies" type proportions. I doubt we'll be seeing a shirtless, Shane O'Brien holding a conch shell anytime soon but Ryan Kesler has taken yet another step towards being the Canuck's emotional compass and should lead them into the 2010/2011 season.

There's no hard and fast rule on how to pick a captain in the NHL. You could go the best player on the team route (Crosby/Ovechkin). The elder statesmen route (Niedermayer/Lidstrom) or the emotional spark plug route (Morrow/Langenbrunner). You can win a Stanley Cup with either one of those choices. What matters, is that the team behind him respects him and tries their best to emulate his example. 

Since coming into the league, Kesler has not only increased his numbers each and every year but he's also managed to improve his two way play. Matching those skills with his, "hate to lose-ness" and "match me" level of energy on the ice, Kesler is on his way to becoming the best two way player the Canucks have ever had and they have him locked up through the prime of his career. 

But what has finally vaulted Kesler over Luongo for the leadership of this team? Media Savvy. The captain of the team is the lightning rod for media scrums before and after every game and, call it whatever you want, but Luongo's aloofness and impenetrability at times can leave the fans less than positive about the direction and mood of the team. 

Kesler wears his still beating heart on his sleeve and I dig that about him. Maybe it was the confidence that came with the Selke nomination and on Team USA at the Olympics but Kesler says what he means and then he backs it up on the ice. Let's put it this way, if Ryan Kesler was selling me a juicer or rotisserie grill. I'm buyin'

So, in true gay Vampire movie fashion, I am putting on my "Team Kesler" t-shirt.

VC Canuck:

Yes. I think it's almost kind of expected that Kesler will be offered the captaincy next season or in the near future, the timeline will depend on what happens in this years' playoffs. It has already been discussed last year in the Vancouver media whether Kesler would make good captain material, and the majority of the city had the feeling that once a long term contract has been signed that he would be a likely candidate.

The Canucks currently have Luongo as their captain as the team (not NHL recognized) but having a goalie as a captain is not the fit as having a skater as a captain. In the Canucks locker room right now, there are different leaders that step up when they need to, and I like that about my team. With how much heart Kesler brings to each and every game, as well as to his off ice community work, I would see Kesler as being the perfect fit as future Canuck captain.

I have seen Markus Naslund be thrown under the bus when he was captain in Vancouver when the Canucks were not doing well. Some may say that the harsh scrutiny and constant pressure is what made Naslund lose his touch, and it may very well be true. Vancouver is a hockey crazy market, and when you are winning life is good for the team. But when the team loses, the media and fan scrutiny will be largely directed to the captain of the team.

That being said, I believe that if Kesler accepts the opportunity to be captain he will be aware of the pressure that he will face being one of the faces of the franchise. I personally hope to see him be the next Canucks captain.

2. Who is the most underrated player in the league?

Laura:

You almost *have* to look at an nontraditional market to find this guy.  I would say Rich Peverley since I'm a Thrashers fan, but I think the whole league's caught wind of that meme.  Honestly, I think that the leadership and constant point production of Shane Doan makes him the most underrated player in the league.  He's been with the franchise his entire career, and even during the nasty court battle this summer he has had nothing but nice things to say about the organization and their fans, and about the necessity of them staying in Arizona.  He's a solid and respectable leader on and off the ice, and frankly without him I think the franchise would be slightly less stable.

Can *he* buy the team?

Steve:

Man, this question was a whole lot easier when Ron Francis was still in the league. I wish I could really come up with an obscure European right winger in the Atlanta Thrashers organization that's taken the hockey world by storm but I can't. It's like me recommending the small, indie film "Avatar."

Well, I am not going to just choose one player who's flying under the NHL radar I am going with a whole team. "Hey Phoenix, maybe you havent' heard? The Coyote's don't shine shoes no more." Currently, the "Yotes" are second in the Western Conference and I dare you to name more than 5 players. A team saddled with the NHL's Gordon Gecko type shenanigans playing in a city that thinks of them in the same way they think of root canals and luke warm seafood buffets and they have managed to shrug it all off and become a real force on the NHL landscape.

3. Who has the brightest future; and why- Toronto, Florida, Edmonton, or Columbus?

Laura:

Florida is a hot mess.  Any team that announces to their fans that they're going to have a fire sale at the trade deadline not only announces that their season's over, but is showing the fans that they don't believe in their own product.  Rough.  Columbus has the ability to be good this year, and they're blowing it.  Edmonton, well, that rebuild's going to take a LONG time.

I'm going to have to go with Toronto.  I watched them a lot this pre-season, and really liked what I saw from their kids.  Burke knows what he's doing if he's just given the time to put everything together.  Nazim Kadri is absolutely absurd (and probably should have played up there with them), and Monster if his heath's ok, should be a solid franchise guy.

I know TO fans hate hearing this, but all they have to do is have some patience.  Things'll look up soon.

VC Canuck:

I think Toronto has the brightest future out of the four teams. Truthfully I don't know enough about Florida's depth to give a good opinion on them, I just don't see enough of their games or hear much about their prospects.

Whether Toronto has the better prospects or not, I like the direction that the team has taken with Burke at the helm. He has not been afraid to revamp the team and go for players that he think will make a good Leafs team. Their young players who have been getting tons of ice time now that half the team was shipped off at the multiple trade deadline deals, has showed promise to a brighter future for the team. I like the tandem of Gustavsson and Giguere in net which will take the pressure off of overplaying Gustavsson next year which I think will help his learning for the future.