The more interesting discussion to me is the As.
Even if Girgs comes back does he keep it? Or do they make the clean sweep and anoint a new group entirely from the young core. Adams said as recently as Friday that they're looking for leadership to come from within from players they've been teaching to be leaders and Okposo seemd to echo the same.
I think their choices are going to come from the group that they have committed to with long-term contracts: Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson, Cozens and Thompson, as well as Tuch given his spot on the roster pecking order and his affinity for the franchise.
To me, the best argument for keeping Girgs is as a placeholder to see who steps up next year into the vacuum, whether it's one of the above, or somebody pushing their way in. By all accounts, Byram is that type of personality, and his departure from the Avalanche was partly fueled by the reality he was never going to get that kind of opportunity in Denver. He was already a leader for a bunch of our guys on Team Canada.
I love Tuch; he seems like a great guy who loves the franchise and his teammates. He works hard, has a presence and is clearly someone heavily leaned on in all situations. I don't like the fact that he's a UFA in 2 years and might be a hard contract decision depending on what the players coming behind him do. I'm also not sure he has the type of thirst to lead that Byram is described as having. I get the sense Alex is more of an obliger who tends to fret over his own game and is uncomfortable taking charge. But he is certainly an obvious choice and I don't think a bad one.
Power's still a kid and an introvert. Might get a look here on his 3rd contract, but he's not a consideration now.
Dahlin will be the new captain.
Samuelsson is pretty clearly someone who is at or near the heart of the room: a beloved teammate with some gravitas. He was the captain of his USNDTP year, which I see as a signficant indicator of his leadership skills. I see him as having a shot, but it's a long one. He's got 2 strikes against him: he might not be indispensible enough; and naming him captain might change the kind of leader he is right now, and not in a good way.
Cozens has the contract, the role and the competitiveness. To me the biggest question is age and maturity. I'd be looking at how he handled the adversity of this year and whether he grew from the experience. Do you hand him the letter now, or give it to a more senior guy and cast him as likely the next in line? He's definitely someone the organization views as a developing leader.
My first choice for a new letter though is Thompson. He's got the contract, good tenure in the room, the respect of the coach and the GM, and he's obviously the guy the team looks to up-front to make a difference. But I also think people tend to underestimate the kid's character: he's a self-made player who's overcome a ton of adversity in his career to get to where he is and continues to stoicly push through obstacles without complaining or finger-pointing.