*This was updated ahead of the 2024-25 season
Having the “C” stitched onto a jersey has been a tradition in hockey for over a century. Arguably the biggest honor a team can bestow upon a player, the NHL has had many iconic captains over the years from Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux to Scott Niedermayer and Mark Messier. The modern era has also seen its share of legendary leaders like Sidney Crosby, who has won three Stanley Cups and Steven Stamkos, who has two.
Since I last updated this article, Stamkos has moved on from the only team he has ever known to sign with the Nashville Predators and the Buffalo Sabres traded Kyle Okposo to the Florida Panthers where he won the Cup a couple of months later. Four other teams are also without a defacto leader going into the 2024-25 season. As such, here are some predictions on who will be honored with the “C” next.
Anaheim Ducks – Troy Terry
At the end of the 2021-22 season, Getzlaf retired from the NHL after 17 seasons that included 282 goals and 1,019 points in 1,157 games – all with the Ducks. Initially drafted 19th overall all the way back in 2003, he currently leads the franchise in points, assists, and games played. Named captain at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, he held the role for 11 seasons – the longest since Paul Kariya, who had it for only five.
Related: Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf: Hall of Fame Worthy?
Clearly, whoever takes over the captaincy will have massive shoes to fill. When Getzlaf was named captain in 2010, he was 25 years old and had basically established himself as the leader of the next core after the one led by Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer. Although Selanne was still on the team and would be until he retired in 2014, Getzlaf was handed the “C”, not the franchise’s most exciting player and all-time goalscorer. After going without a captain last season, could the Ducks go a similar way in 2024-25 and give it to a youngster rather than a veteran? THW’s own Charlie Hiller seems to think so.
“[Troy] Terry has already shown success at every level he’s played, and this season is a big step towards proving it at the highest levels of the sport. Assuming his trajectory continues upward, Terry will prove himself to be a worthy successor to Getzlaf as captain.”
While Terry has yet to establish himself as a consistent contributor in the NHL (like Getzlaf did), he has the star power and ability to change the tides with a goal or spectacular play. He also has experience coming through in the clutch as he scored the shootout winner for Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Championship and led the University of Denver to a National Championship only a few months later. In 2021-22, he broke out to the tune of 37 goals and 67 points, all while playing on a line with the aforementioned Getzlaf, someone he has looked up to since starting his journey in the NHL.
Without Getzlaf in 2022-23, Terry came back down to earth with only 23 goals, but still played a prominent role in the offence, finishing second only to Trevor Zegras with 61 points. He then fell down a bit more last season with only 20 goals and 54 points, but again was second on the team in the scoring, this time behind Frank Vatrano. The Ducks also recently committed long-term to the former Pioneers star signing him to a seven-year extension worth $49 million. It’s clear they are hoping he can lead the franchise through their current rebuild and back to contender status in short order. Wearing the “C” would be the logical next step for this budding star.
Utah Hockey Club – Clayton Keller
After Shane Doan retired in 2017 following a long tenure in the desert with the “C”, Oliver Ekman-Larsson was given the mantel for the 2018-19 season. Then, after three seasons with it stitched to his chest, the Arizona Coyotes decided to trade him to the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 for a package that included a handful of veterans and a first-round pick that became the dynamic Dylan Guenther.
Related: Coyotes Clayton Keller: First-Round Pick to NHL Star
While the Coyotes (now the Utah Hockey Club) decided against naming a captain for 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 seasons, they might be inclined to do so before the start of 2024-25. Due to the team’s current rebuild, veterans are few and far between, so the next player to don the “C” will most likely be someone they want to build the new core around. Enter Clayton Keller.
Selected seventh-overall by the Coyotes in 2016, Keller hit the ground running in his 2017-18 rookie season – at the youthful age of 19, no less – scoring 23 goals and 65 points in 82 games. Naturally, fans thought that was just the beginning of his greatness as he finished third in Calder voting and was named to the Rookie All-Star Team. Unfortunately, the dreaded sophomore slump hit him hard in 2018-19. He ended up with only 14 goals and 47 points and took two more seasons to hit 20 goals again.
Still only 25 years old, Keller had a coming-out party in 2021-22 when he hit a career-high 28 goals and led the Coyotes in scoring and ice time amongst forwards. He probably would have eclipsed 30 too, if he hadn’t fractured his leg in March and missed the rest of the season.
If Keller’s 28 goals in 2021-22 were a coming-out party, then his 37 in 2022-23 was a party for the ages. He also hit a career-high 86 points and arguably joined the ranks of NHL stardom. He is now the hands-down favorite to become the first captain of the newly formed Utah Hockey Club, something that could be announced as soon as training camp in September.
Seattle Kraken – Jordan Eberle
Only three seasons into its existence, the Seattle Kraken already have a history of captains. With Marc Giordano getting traded in 2022, who served as the captain for only 55 games, Seattle is still in the market for another player to take the helm after going without one in 2022-23 and 2023-24. On a team with only a 246-game log book, the criteria will come down to either a veteran of the NHL or a rookie that they are looking to lead the still-developing core into the future. As of right now, it will probably be the former – at least until 21-year-old Matty Beniers is ready for the weight of it.
If that’s the case, which veteran will they choose? I think it will come down to three players, Jordan Eberle, Adam Larsson or Brandon Tanev. If they want to go with an intense, emotional leader, Tanev is without a doubt the guy. A player that will come through in the clutch and possibly be the difference maker in a playoff series? Well, that’s clearly Eberle. Finally, a veteran who has been through the pressure of succeeding as a top-five draft pick? That’s Larsson. All in all, each of them has the attributes of a future captain. But if it came down to it, I would probably have to choose Eberle at this point.
Now a proud member of the 700-point club, Eberle has been in the NHL for 14 seasons and has been a consistent scorer since he entered the league in 2010-11 with the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, he has never seen a campaign without double-digits in the goal column, recording eight 20-goal seasons in that time. He is also no stranger to clutch goals and producing in the playoffs, something that great captains are always proficient at.
It started early for Eberle when he scored the game-tying goal in the waning seconds of the 2009 World Junior Semifinals to keep his country’s hopes alive in a tournament that they eventually won gold. If that wasn’t enough, he also scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout. If that isn’t clutch, I don’t know what is.
While Eberle has yet to play in a Stanley Cup Final, it hasn’t been for lack of trying as he was a key player for the New York Islanders in their two runs to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021. In total, he has 19 goals and 47 points in 76 playoff games spread over five years between the Islanders, Oilers, and now the Kraken after he scored six goals and 11 points in 14 games in their first appearance in franchise history. His ability to come through in the clutch alone makes him the right choice to succeed Giordano.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Victor Hedman
As mentioned off the top, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be choosing a new captain for the first time since 2013-14 when Stamkos and Martin St. Louis took over the role from Vincent Lecavalier. Stamkos was one of their iconic leaders, leading them to two Stanley Cups and three straight appearances in the Final. He also sits atop the leaderboard in games played (1,082), goals (555), power play goals (214), and points (1,137), and second in assists (582). Needless to say, the next person who wears the “C” has almost impossible shoes to fill.
If anyone can do it, though, it’s Victor Hedman. Now that Stamkos is gone, he is the longest-tenured Lightning with 1,052 games and barring significant injury, will surpass him and stand by himself at the top sometime this season. He is only 31 games away and will likely pass him before the calendar flips to 2025. He has been the leader of the blue line since he entered the league back in 2009-10, and has served as an alternate captain to Stamkos for the past eight seasons. He has earned the respect of his teammates and players around the league, winning the Norris Trophy in 2018 and the Conn Smythe in 2020 as the MVP of the playoffs. He is the logical successor and should have the “C” stitched onto his chest before the puck drops in October.
Chicago Blackhawks – Connor Bedard
The Chicago Blackhawks decided to go without a captain for the 2023-24 season after Jonathan Toews wasn’t re-signed. Like Stamkos, the next player who takes up the mantle will have massive shoes to fill. “Captain Serious” was the Blackhawks’ leader for 15 seasons, leading them to three Stanley Cups. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010, the Selke Trophy in 2013, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015. He will go down as one of the Blackhawks’ most iconic captains, and might even get inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. Those are the types of shoes the next captain will have to fill. No pressure, right?
While it may not happen this season, and the Blackhawks could go with several alternates rather than a captain again, it will be Connor Bedard who will wear the “C” next in the Windy City. He has already established himself as a leader on the team after just one season with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, winning the Calder Trophy for his efforts. He became the face of the franchise at only 18 years old and seemingly has the personality and gravitas to hold the captaincy having held the same role for the Regina Pats in 2022-23 and Team Canada at the 2022 U18 World Championship.
Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Dahlin
We finish with the Sabres who are looking for a new captain again after two seasons with Okposo and three seasons with Jack Eichel. The next one should last for a lot longer considering 24-year-old Rasmus Dahlin is the current favorite to take over the role. Like Hedman in Tampa Bay, he has been the Sabres’ leader on defense since he was drafted first overall in 2018 and has steadily progressed into one of the best defenders in the NHL. He’s not familiar with having the “C” on his jersey, having only held the captaincy for Sweden’s U16 team in 2015-16, but he has been an alternate captain for the Sabres since 2022-23.
Dahlin recently showed some initiative in the leadership department, organizing a training camp for a group of his teammates in Lausanne, Switzerland. That sort of initiative is indicative of an NHL captain and it wasn’t lost on the players that attended the camp. He wants the Sabres to take the next step in their development and finally make the playoffs this season after over a decade on the outside looking in.
What this says most is about ‘Dahls,’ how much he wants to win, how much he wants to do stuff right and how much he wants to take care of everybody else in the team and make sure that we’re in the best shape to start the season…I think it’s a lot from him and how well he does things for us [that the players were] able to come there.
Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Dahlin organizing the camp
Dahlin appears to be ready to become the 22nd captain of the Sabres. Will he be the first to lead them to the playoffs since Craig Rivet wore it in 2010-11? We will just have to wait and see.
Several NHL Teams Might Not Have a Captain in 2024-25
As you can see there are several worthy candidates to take over the “C” for the six aforementioned teams. While some will get filled in the coming weeks, others might stay vacant for the 2024-25 season. We will just have to wait and see which players will end up receiving the distinction as the clock ticks down to opening night on Oct. 8.
