Who Will Be The Next Bruins Captain?
The Boston Bruins had an emotional end to their season, as players were understandably very emotional.
After the unfortunate loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on home ice, Patrice Bergeron hugged and had a moment with every player before leaving the ice.
Any captain would do the same thing, but you could tell this meant something more then just a simple hug between teammates. As it looks like this will be Patrice Bergeron's last season, after playing with the Bruins since 2003-2004.
It is truly remarkable that Patrice Bergeron, played through a herniated disc in his back but it may be the reason he has to hang up the skates for good.
Patrice was a question mark for this whole series, but he came in early in the series and fought through his injuries to be a true leader. The 37 year old has played 1,294 games (all as a Bruin), and scored 1,040 points. Patrice collected a lot of hardware over his two decades of playing.
5x Frank J. Selke Trophy
1x NHL Foundation Player Award
1x Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
1x King Clancy Memorial Trophy
1x Stanley Cup Champion
Now for the hard part. Bruins fans probably don't want to hear about or talk about the possibility of a new captain, but the team will eventually name a new captain for the franchise.
The organization may wait for a bit, maybe later into the 2023-24 season but they also might name a more short-term one for a year or two.
With that in mind, here are some possible candidates for the Boston Bruins and fans to consider:
David Krejci
Years with the team: 16
1,032 GP, 231 G, 555 A, 786 Pts
The longest serving Boston Bruin behind Patrice Bergeron himself. Since joining the Boston Bruins in 2006-2007, David Krejci has become a fan favourite and an amazing all around player. Krejci, 37, may be a temporary captain for the next season or two. As he might also be thinking retirement very soon.
Years with the team: 14
947 GP, 372 G, 490 A, 862 Pts
Whether you love him or you hate him, there is no denying how good of a player Brad Marchand truly is. He has Patrice Bergeron's vote as next captain. Brad is a true leader for the Bruins on and off the ice, one of the nicest guys in giving back to the city of Boston. Marchand, is a true wrecking ball on the ice having one 100 point season mixed in with three 80+ point seasons. All though also getting up there in age at 35, Brad Marchand is heading into his second last year of his contract with the Bruins. It is unknown if he will continue to play after his contract is up, especially if Bergeron is on his way out aswell. Meaning, Marchand may also be a temporary captain.
Years with the team: 6
380 GP, 41 G, 189 A, 230 Pts
Now getting into the young guns on the Bruins roster. Off the ice, McAvoy has stepped up as a leader in the Boston community. When Zdeno Chara left, he took over the tradition of donating and delivering pies on Thanksgiving to those in need. Charlie, often participates in Boston community events the team organizes, like hospital visits.
Charlie McAvoy has shown extreme interest in staying with the team, locking in an eight-year extension, keeping him in Boston through the 2029-30 season.
The deal also has a no-move clause that kicks in at the start of the 2024-25 season. The Bruins love having their captain be on the blue line, and Charlie McAvoy is no exception.
Years with the team: 2 1/2
158 GP, 44 G, 67 A, 111 Pts
This may come as a surprising candidate for the position, but Taylor Hall seems dedicated to the city of Boston. After joining the team in 2020-2021, it has looked like a match made in heaven.
As fans quickly started to loved Taylor Hall in the gold and black, the trade that brought him into Boston was one of the best opportunities for the team.
Since then, Taylor Hall has shown his love for the organization and city, showing his true leadership in the locker room even with just the letter «B» on his sweater. Which he wears proudly, at the age of 31, Hall may be a great fit for the «C» or even an «A» next season.
Years with the team: 4 1/2
306 GP, 56 G, 92 A, 148 Pts
Adding another Charlie into the mix, Similar to McAvoy, Coyle is active in the Boston community. Coyle would certainly be a great option out of the veterans in the room. He could give the team some solid years of leadership, as he is only 31. Boston loves both the Charlie's and either of them would be a great fit.
Years with the team: 9
592 GP, 301 G, 316 A, 617 Pts
A player who doesn't get talked about enough, but that may be for a reason is David Pastrnak. He is without a letter at all on his sweater, now I don't know if he isn't a strong enough leader in the locker room compared to others, but it's strange not seeing Pastrnak at least have an «A».
Especially after leading his team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs again, scoring 113 points. People also tend to forget that Pastrnak is only 26 years old, making him one of the younger guys on the Bruins roster. I expect David Pastrnak to be in the running for the captaincy or at least an assistant role.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think becomes the next captain? | ||
| Hall | 2 | 1 % |
| Marchand | 118 | 58.1 % |
| McAvoy | 62 | 30.5 % |
| Pastrnak | 21 | 10.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
