Ryan McDonagh named New York Rangers captain

After finalizing his team's opening night roster, Alain Vigneault announced Ryan McDonagh as the new captain of the team. McDonagh becomes the 27th captain in the history of the Rangers.

Finishing the end of last season without a captain after trading Ryan Callahan, the Rangers had three alternates from the trade deadline on, with Marc Staal, Brad Richards, and Dan Girardi wearing letters. The 25-year-old McDonagh is entering his fifth season with the team, after he was acquired from Montreal in a trade in 2009.

Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Girardi and Staal will all be alternate captains.

Even before Callahan's trade last season, McDonagh was regarded as a leader in the Rangers locker room. The Minnesota native was a staple on Team USA's blue line the 2014 Olympics, and was an assistant captain in his sophomore and final year of college at Wisconsin.

Since McDonagh debuted with the Rangers in 2010, only Girardi has appeared in more games. Over that stretch, McDonagh leads all Rangers defenseman in points (103), goals (26), and plus-minus (65). His offensive numbers saw a spike last season while playing under Vigneault for the first year, as McDonagh posted career highs in goals (14), assists (29), and points (43).

McDonagh has proven himself a standout on the ice, playing some of the toughest minutes of any Ranger, and playing in all three phases of the game.