Do the Blues Need a Captain for 2026-27?

After trading Brayden Schenn at the 2026 Trade Deadline, the St. Louis Blues played the remainder of the 2025-26 season without a captain. The question of who will be the next captain remains unanswered with training camp set to open next month. Will the team even name a captain, and do the Blues need one?

NHL Rules On the Captaincy

The NHL requires a team to either have a captain and two alternates, or have three alternates. After the trade deadline, Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, and Jake Neighbours served as alternates.

What Blues History Tells Us

The Blues have played without a captain before – usually after trading their captain. The team has gone a long stretch without one, such as the 2007-08 season, when Eric Brewer was not named captain until February. In 1996-97, the Blues went the entire season without a captain before Chris Pronger was named captain in September 1997. However, if history repeats itself, the Blues will name a captain at some point this season.

Candidates For the Captaincy

Thomas is a logical choice to wear the “C.” He has served as an alternate captain since 2023-24, and he is the face of the franchise and their top center. He took on an extended leadership role following Schenn’s departure, as noted by head coach Jim Montgomery:

“Thomas took on more of a big picture leadership role – understanding the bench, understanding the dressing room – and did an admirable job there.”

Parayko is the longest-tenured Blue. After vetoing a trade to the Buffalo Sabres to remain with the team, no one can question his loyalty to the Blue Note. Jake Neighbours and Philip Broberg could be considered wild card candidates for the captaincy. Both have seen increased roles the last few seasons.

The team is not short on players with a case to wear the “C.” However, who makes the most sense?

The Blues Should Not Name a Captain…Yet

While Thomas, Parayko, Neighbours, and Broberg are all good options, they lack an important factor: a clear case to be named captain. When Brewer was traded, David Backes was the clear candidate to become captain. When Backes left, it was Alex Pietrangelo (Alexander Steen was another candidate). After that, Ryan O’Reilly was the obvious pick, followed by Schenn when O’Reilly was traded. There was never any question these players would take on the mantle.

There is no clear choice right now. However, that is not a bad thing. It means there is an opportunity for one of them to step up and earn the captaincy.

The Blues’ Best Option

The Blues should stick with their three alternate captains (Thomas, Parayko, and Neighbours). Other players who earn it can join the rotation to wear the “A,” which would be nothing new for Montgomery. The Blues did that last season, as Justin Faulk also served as an alternate before he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.

President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong, General Manager (GM) Alexander Steen, and Montgomery need to set a date to determine their next captain. They should let the players know in training camp that they will be assessed on their leadership capabilities, and when that date comes, a captain will be named if someone has earned it.

Management could very well determine that no one has earned it, or that multiple players have showcased their skills, leaving the best option to continue with a rotation of alternates. The trio already seems open to the possibility of not having a captain. Armstrong even acknowledged in April the importance of growing as a team, regardless of who the captain is:

“Ultimately if we’re relying on any one person, we’re probably wrong. We win as a team, we lose as a team, we grow as a team. And so it’s going to take everybody.”

Blues Must Consider Every Option

The Blues are still retooling and working toward a competitive future. They should not feel obligated to name a captain. If someone earns it, great. If not, that is fine too. The Vegas Golden Knights did not have a captain during their first three seasons, and they never missed the playoffs.

This is a new era of Blues’ hockey. While history shows they have favored having a captain, they should let the process play out this season, which will only help the team grow and develop.