Andrew Ference, who has been the Edmonton Oilers’ captain the last two seasons, says there are no plans to hand over the role to one of the NHL team’s younger core players.

He said it’s status quo as far as he can tell.

“One of the first conversations I had with Todd (McLellan, Edmonton’s new coach) was about that,” said Ference, who was aware a new bench boss might have his own ideas on the captaincy.

“I brought it up … I like things out in the open,” he continued. “I don’t like walking on eggshells or awkward moments, player to coach, player to GM. This isn’t a vanity project. We should want everybody pulling on the same rope for the Oilers.”

Ference may have the body of a 26-year-old with his fitness regimen, but he’ll be the Oilers’ oldest player at age 36 and probably a third-pairing defenceman this season. He needs to play only 99 more games to reach the 1,000-game milestone in the NHL.

“Anybody can be captain … the way I look at it is who would be the same person with or without it,” he said about wearing the letter C. “It shouldn’t change who you are as a person. Some guys who have the captaincy can elevate their role and how they feel, but how they act and who they are? That shouldn’t change.

“Doing the day-in, day-out leadership stuff should be the same with or without it. That’s the sign somebody’s ready for the captaincy.”

If Ference isn’t the captain, who should have the role?

“It’s not like I’m going to give you a list, but I definitely know who I’d pick,” he said. “It’s not my annointment.

“Some guys are rounding into that. You need multiple guys in a leadership role, though, with or without the letter, to where they can take the reins. You can’t just have one guy carrying the flag. You need a mob mentality to be successful.”

Taylor Hall (24), Jordan Eberle (25) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (22) all have been through the Oilers’ dark times. Hall is the most talkative of the three players, then Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins, but verbiage isn’t a requisite for a captain.

“Quality over quantity,” said Ference, who played under Mario Lemieux, Jarome Iginla and Zdeno Chara when they were captains in Pittsburgh, Calgary and Boston, respectively. “Who’s more talkative with the media doesn’t mean they’re super loud in the dressing room and, conversely, somebody who’s quiet (in front of a microphone) doesn’t mean they’re quiet in the room.

“Z (Chara) actually talked a lot (behind closed doors). He was very Eastern European and very structured and on point. Not a lot of fluff. He was being himself, not what he thought a captain should be. His authenticity came through.

“Often when a team’s struggling, you get a glimpse of who has the maturity and leadership to still speak up and know what to do when times are tough,” he added.

What will Ference’s role be on the Oilers, apart from being a mentor and a strong voice in the locker-room and on the ice? He averaged 18:52 last season, but might be down around 15 minutes if he’s on a third pairing.

“Probably hasn’t changed throughout my career. It’s not to get by on skill and soft hands,” he said. “It’s to get by with hard work and a guy the opposing team doesn’t have fun playing against. Being in the opposing team’s face and not leaving your partner hanging out to dry.”