Which NHL Players Should Wear The 'C' For Remaining Teams Without Captains?

Across the NHL, several teams are expected to name their captains before the 2026-27 season starts, if they haven't done so already.

Robert Thomas, Bo Horvat and Drew Doughty already took the St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings off the board, respectively, but seven teams are still carrying vacant captaincies.

The good news for most of them? There's a pretty obvious pick available whenever they decide they want to take the step.

Even at a time when veteran players seem to be more willing than ever to demand trades or hit the open market, rewriting the rules on who wears the 'C' and when in their careers they get to do so, most won't have to think too hard.

Most captains are either young No. 1 centers or defensemen, or older veterans who have been in their markets for a long time and don't seem likely to go anywhere.

Anaheim doesn't really have anyone in the latter group, but LaCombe is an obvious pick (especially ahead of their No. 1 center, who just signed a wild offer sheet over the summer). He's locked in at a cheap rate through 2034, and he's going to carry the ball for them for a long time.

There are good reasons for either Pastrnak or McAvoy to be named captain of the Bruins. These are their only two truly long-term veterans, and you'd think Pastrnak would get the nod over McAvoy due to seniority and the fact that he's a likely Hall of Famer.

McAvoy's contract is also up a year earlier than Pastrnak's, but if they want a guy who's a little farther from his retirement date, McAvoy is a solid second option.

The only reason it might be Johnson is if Werenski ends up not-committing beyond his current contract, which expires after 2028. He's not eligible to sign an extension yet, and the hubbub around him this summer doesn't help.

But if he's willing to stay there for another three to five years after 2028 — nothing stops you from having that conversation now, you just can't sign the extension — then this is a no-brainer. Especially since they just lost their captain in free agency, so they have some time to let the decision breathe.

The only choice here. A Norris-caliber defender who's signed through 2031. They don't have anyone else on the team they should even consider.

After stripping Dylan Larkin of his captaincy earlier this month, the Red Wings need stability in its leadership group. With Seider taking his fair share of accountability for the franchise's shortcomings earlier this summer at the NHL Player Media Tour, this feels like a guy who understands the market better than almost anyone on the roster.

I already wrote about this here, but Chabot seems like the best option right now. He is, however, set to hit free agency in two years. If that's a problem for the Senators, Sanderson or Stützle are good long-term options (though I'd lean Sanderson in that case).

Beyond that, they might also want to look at giving the 'C' to Drake Batherson, especially after he made an eight-year commitment to the franchise earlier this week.

Before the Chicago Blackhawks officially named Connor Bedard captain on Sept. 15, that was the biggest no-brainer decision on this front in the league. Now this one is.

This is complicated by the fact that Logan Couture is still, technically, captain of the team but he also hasn't played in a few years and his career is over. The Sharks might wait on this decision just for the sake of propriety, but they don't have to. Celebrini is The Guy.

The Canucks have a similar problem the Kings had before ultimately deciding to go with Doughty: Plenty of okay options, but none you're really excited about. And unlike Los Angeles, they didn't just lose their long-time captain to retirement in the off-season, so it might feel a little more pressing to name a replacement.

That said, it's easy to see why you'd take a long look at Hronek. He's signed through 2032, is a great player, and is seemingly not eager to move in what is likely to be a great big sell-off over the next couple years (the smallest his no-trade list gets between now and the end of his deal is 15 teams, too).

If they want to go younger with a guy like Zeev Buium after his recent extension, nobody's going to stop them, but it doesn't make a ton of sense given that he just joined the organization. The Canucks are in a position where they likely aren't rushing to make a decision, but there are a few interesting options they can consider.

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