Times have changed as Arnott captains Nashville

Back in the 1990’s, few would have tagged Jason Arnott as prospective captain material. Those were the days when the 6-3, 220-pound forward struggled to deliver consistent performances despite his talent, and even infamously once said, “I just wasn’t that into it tonight,” after his Edmonton Oilers lost a tough one to the Winnipeg Jets.

Clearly, based on their decision to give Arnott the C, the Nashville Predators have developed a very different picture of this Collingwood, Ontario native.

They’re thinking of him more as the guy who scored the 2000 Stanley Cup winner in overtime for New Jersey, and is coming off his 10th NHL season with 20 or more goals.

Arnott has four years left on his contract with Nashville. Considering how the club lost so many key players over the summer (including top goalie Tomas Vokoun, defensive mainstay and previous captain Kimmo Timonen, and leading scorer Paul Kariya, not to mention the brief stay of Peter Forsberg), his leadership skills are going to be tested to the full this season.