LEADERSHIP 'BY COMMITTEE'

The captaincy isn't some box you check like your weekly grocery list.
In time, leaders emerge.
They face the adversity up close, measure the good times with the bad, and are the voice of the dressing room - the conduit to the coach and fans.

So, until you've actually gone to battle with each other and have tested the team's fortitude, there's no rush to name one.
The Flames will enter this season with the 'C' left on the sewing bench. However, that doesn't mean the Flames lack in quality leadership.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Sean Monahan, Mikael Backlund, Matthew Tkachuk and Chris Tanev will be the ones wearing an 'A' - but it's on all 23 players to step up and fill the void left by their Seattle-bound skipper, Mark Giordano.
"Every guy is going to have to chip in and do their part," Backlund - the longest-serving Flame - said following Saturday's morning skate. "I've been here for a while and I feel like it's my responsibility to take on that role, to be more vocal and bring more of a leadership role, together with those other guys in the leadership group."
The players all have a unique personality and approach to the game that, as Backlund explains, will appeal to their teammates, young and old.
"They're all three really nice guys, really easy to get along with, and great hockey players," he said. "That's a good start.
"I've played a long time with Mony. He's more of a quiet guy, but he plays the right way and loves playing here in Calgary. He has a big heart for the city and this team. Chucky's a great character guy and I'm sure a lot of people hate playing against him - and he has that attitude, and it's great for our team to have that. We love playing with him and he's a great guy as well. And Tanny? He brings everything on the ice every night. He sacrifices his body like no one else. He's a warrior.
"We complement each other really well, we feel."

While you can't simply replace what Giordano brought to the Flames over 16 years of unimpeachable service, you can, collectively, impart some of his wisdom and cool, veteran savvy that helped groom the current roster.
From there, you let the chips fall.
"I think it puts pressure on a few guys to step up," said Milan Lucic. "Sometimes pressure is good, you get to see some true colours come out from guys when the spotlight is on them a bit more.
"We're going to have to do that as a committee and come together as a group to fill that void.
"It's a fun group to be around. We all like each other, we all push each other. I have full belief and confidence that this group can come together and do that."