Three candidates who could wear the 'A' for the NY Islanders as Bo Horvat has been named captain

Now that Bo Horvat has been named the 16th captain of the NY Islanders, the organization must now assign a new alternate captain, left vacant by Horvat's promotion.

While somebody like Adam Pelech is deserving of the honor, there are likely three players on the roster who will be in contention for the 'A'.

One of the most tenured players with the Islanders, Mat Barzal has not worn a letter permanently on his sweater im is career. One of the most entertaining players across the league, one of the knocks on Barzal has been his questionable leadership abilities. Last season, Barzal took that into his own hands after Mason Marchment was roughing up Matthew Schaefer. A two-handed tomahawk to Marchment's ankle sent the message that Barzal was willing to defend his teammates at all costs. At 29 years old, it may be time to pass a leadership position onto Barzal.

The only other potential candidate for the captaincy was likely Schaefer. The budding superstar was the talk of the league during his rookie campaign, becoming the first unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy since 1992. While Schaefer has shown leadership on and off the ice in less than one year on Long Island, there's no rush to make him captain. His time will come to wear the 'C', but for now, an 'A' wouldn't be the worst idea.

Acquired at the trade deadline, Brayden Schenn was previously the captain of the St. Louis Blues, where he helped the organization win its first Stanley Cup. He hasn't spent much time with the Islanders but his leadership is unquestioned and could be a candidate to wear an 'A' despite that.

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