The Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday announced, finally, that they're retiring Pavel Bure's No. 10 jersey. That got us thinking—which players,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], if any, should be next to be so honored by their teams?

We're doing this division-by-division. Today is the Metropolitan. Keep saying it. Metropolitan. Metropolitan.

ATLANTIC:
Columbus Blue Jackets: Uhh ...
It's easy to see the team retiring 's No. 61 down the road—he was the face of the franchise for 10 years, a captain for four and, despite the circus that eventually surrounded his trade request, left on decent enough terms. and genuinely cared for the city. Now, beyond that, there's not much. Behind him, the franchise's leader in games played is David Vyborny. Geoff Sanderson was the first Blue Jacket to score 30 goals. Neither of them scream "jersey in the rafters," though. Maybe they'll honor the Twitter account,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], or hang up Adam Foote's jersey in the concourse .
Retirees: None.
Future candidates: Nash.
Carolina Hurricanes:
The Canes have generally taken care of the principals of the 2002 Eastern Conference champs and 2006 Cup winners. Ray Whitney might sneak in there when it's all said and done, but believe it or not, he only played five seasons for Carolina. It could end up happening for Cole,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who played for the team from 2001-11, other than 63 games with the Edmonton Oilers, and scored more than 20 goals four times. He also was well liked by fans in Raleigh. and seem like future locks.
Retirees: Glen Wesley (2), Gordie Howe (9), Ron Francis (10), Rod Brind'Amour (17).
Note: Howe's number was retired by the Hartford Whalers, and the Hurricanes recognize that decision.
Future candidates: Jordan Staal (11), Eric Staal (12), Cam Ward (30).
New York Islanders: Pat Lafontaine, No. 16
There are plenty of embarrassing reasons this won't happen anytime soon, . But it should. Lafontaine is an important part of Islanders history—that's particularly relevant,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], given that they're about to move from Brooklyn. Only once in his seven full seasons on Long Island did Lafontaine score less than 30 goals. Thrice he scored 45 or more, including 54 in 1989-90. It's a shame this isn't already a done deal. Another option off the 80s dynasty teams: Bob Bourne.
Retirees: Denis Potvin (5), Clark Gillies (9), Bryan Trottier (19), Mike Bossy (22), Bob Nystrom (23), Billy Smith (31).
Future candidates: John Tavares (91).
New Jersey Devils: Tie
The Devils should opt for whomever retires first: or . Only Ken Daneyko played more games for the franchise. Also, Brodeur's the most accomplished goalie of all time, which is a relevant fact, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion. Elias is only the franchise's all-time leader in points and goals and holds its record for the most points in a season (96). These are slam dunks. They just need to stop playing at some point.
Retirees: Ken Daneyko (3), Scott Stevens (4), Scott Niedermayer (27).
Future candidates: Elias (26), Brodeur (30).
New York Rangers: Jean Ratelle, No. 19
We'll go off the board a little with this one. Ratelle played for the Rangers from 1960-1976 and became the first player in franchise history to score at least 100 points, during the 1971-72 season. He's second in career goals, third in career points and sixth in career games. , this will be a lot easier. Henrik Lundqvist is on his way; the rafters might be different by that point,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], though.
Retirees: Eddie Giacomin (1), Brian Leetch (2), Harry Howell (3), Rod Gilbert (7), Adam Graves (9), Mark Messier (11), Mike Richter (35).
Future candidates: Ryan Callahan (24), Lundqvist (30).
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jaromir Jagr, No. 68
This is another unlikely one—, but the Cliff Notes is that . Still, it's impossible to rule out anything—good or bad; Pro: there's a painting of Jagr outside the locker room. Con: The team store doesn't stock anything with his image on it. It's complicated. Also a factor: the Penguins have only retired two jerseys—Michel Briere, who died tragically in 1971 after his rookie season, and Mario Lemieux. That's not a coincidence. If Jagr goes up, you could argue that the floodgates should be open for the rest of the 1991-92 Cup teams. He also needs to retire. Eventually.
Retirees: Briere (21), Lemieux (66).
Future candidates: Kris Letang (5, Evgeni Malkin (71), Sidney Crosby (87).
Philadelphia Flyers: Eric Lindros, No. 88
The Flyers are another team that's stingy with jersey retirements, but Lindros should get the honor. His split from the team is famously ugly, over the last few years, particularly during the 2011 Winter Classic, when he played in the alumni game. Maybe it happens when Lindros is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His career was too short, but he was a generational talent and, if relatively briefly, one of the absolute best players in the game.
Retirees: Bernie Parent (1), Mark Howe (2), Barry Ashbee (4), Bill Barber (7), Bobby Clarke (16).
Note: Pelle Lindbergh's No. 31 is not officially retired but has been out of circulation since his death in 1985.
Future candidates: Chris Pronger (20), Claude Giroux (2.
Washington Capitals: Peter Bondra, No. 12
It's surprising this hasn't happened yet. Bondra is the franchise's career leader in goals—he led the league twice—and is second in games. playing 14 seasons for the Caps before they traded him in 2004. Goalie Olaf Kolzig is also a decent bet. Interestingly enough, owner Ted Leonsis set off some alarms in 2008 when he made comments that as putting the kibosh on both Bondra and Kolzig, but he walked those back. That's good—, so a shift would be confusing.
Retirees: Rod Langway (5), Yvon Labre (7), Mike Gartner (11), Dale Hunter (32).
Future candidates: Alex Ovechkin (,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Nicklas Backstrom (19), Mike Green (52).

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