Monday afternoon, Max Pacioretty told CJAD’s Tony Marinaro that he would step up to the occasion if he asked to be the Montreal Canadiens captain.

Clearly, he does a good job being a leader on the ice, for the Canadiens, with 39 goals. Which is the best a Habs player has gotten in 20 years, when Vincent Damphousse scored 40 goals in the 1993-94 campaign.

It’s been sometime since the city has seen a pure scorer like Max, well maybe Kovalev in 2008 but he was 35 years old at the time, approaching a decline in his production. While Pacioretty is 25, with his best years still ahead of him.

Apr 22, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty (67) misses a chance to score a goal against Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Kristers Gudlevskis (37) as defenseman Matt Carle (25) defends during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Pacioretty isn’t just an offensive force, but can also play on the penalty kill. He’s been developing into a good 2-way forward last year. With the departure of ex-captain Brian Gionta, Max will likely have to play a bigger role on the PK next year.

If he were chosen to be captain, he would likely be a good captain, but not a great one. He gets too emotional sometimes. When a team’s captain is too emotional, it can often create a distraction within the team.

Unless, he can fix that problem, I don’t think he’d be the right choice, he needs to be able to take criticism better. Especially in a hockey market like Montreal.

I think the perfect option for captain would Plekanec, he has the skill, leadership needed to be captain but, the problem with him is he doesn’t speak enough. I’m wondering if that would change if asked to be captain.

Although, only time will tell if Habs will even name a captain for this upcoming season.