Matthew Schaefer 'In No Rush' To Become Islanders' Captain
Matthew Schaefer, the next captain of the New York Islanders? Not so fast.
"I want to learn from those guys and become the best version of myself I can be," Schaefer said. "I'm excited for the year and I want to focus on our team. It doesn't really matter about (the captaincy) because we have so many leaders in the room. Once you start the season, everyone is going to step up and everyone has a voice."
The Calder Trophy winning defenseman isn't in any rush to wear the 'C' on Long Island, after Anders Lee signed with the Utah Mammoth this summer, and vacated the leadership position. Schaefer's not concerned at all with filling Lee's leadership role.
"It would be such an honor (to be captain)," Schaefer told NHL.com at the 12th annual Smilezone Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lionhead Golf Club on Monday. "There have been so many great (Islanders captains), but at the end of the day we have so many leaders like Bo Horvat, Brayden Schenn who have all been captains and are all our leaders too. I'm still young so I'm in no rush."Schaefer scored 23 goals, which tied him for the most all-time by a rookie defenceman, with New York Rangers' great Brian Leetch. He started on the third pair for the first few games and quickly took on more responsibility and produced. Schaefer has all the tools, can play in all situations, and his mobility on the back end is elite.
It's just being yourself, you don't want to change anything about yourself. If you get a letter, if you get the captaincy, it doesn't matter, you just need to be yourself. The reason you get picked is because of who you are and what you are about so don't change anything, just keep being you. Just be good with the guys. At the end of the day, having a close team makes it a lot easier and makes it more fun being around the guys. If you're just playing hockey and having fun, that's all that matters honestly, and being with the right people, the right coaches, the right management. At the end of the day it's family and we want to create something super special on Long Island and we want to win the Stanley Cup. You just want to win a Cup and go as far as you can with the team.
The Islanders are looking to take the next step next season, and Schaefer, C or not, will be the one leading the charge.