The Boston Bruins haven’t gone one full season without a captain since 2001-02. The 2025-26 season may change that after they traded Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
Bruins veteran defenseman Charlie McAvoy is on record as saying Boston isn’t going to rush into naming a permanent captain this coming year – and that he and star winger David Pastrnak will wear the ‘A’ as the Bruins’ alternate captains.
After looking at the New York Rangers’ captaincy possibilities, we’re shifting the spotlight to the Bruins, who have a few options, whether one gets named this year or later on. Let’s take a look.
1. David Pastrnak
We said it in our Rangers story – it makes sense for many teams to give their captaincy to their most talented player. Joe Thornton led the Boston Bruins for three seasons, and Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Marchand were undoubtedly among the team’s top players.
In Boston, this applies to Pastrnak, a top-10 player in the NHL and a first- or second-team all-star four times since 2020.
Even in a subpar season for the Bruins last year, Pastrnak posted 63 assists – the second straight season he’s posted exactly that many assists – and 106 points. Pastrnak has also worn the ‘A’ on his jersey since 2021-22, so making that next step as a leader won’t come as a shock to him.
Pastrnak may be one of those “lead by example” leaders, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The Bruins come by their feistiness honestly, and Pastrnak has shown he can thrive in low-scoring games or run-and-gun affairs while also thriving in the playoffs. That’s what Boston’s players should be emulating, and that’s why Pastrnak is our pick to be the Bruins’ next captain.
2. Charlie McAvoy
Career-long Bruins defenseman McAvoy is another popular pick to be Boston’s captain. The 27-year-old is signed through the 2029-30 season, and his rugged style of play embodies what the Bruins are known for. He produces a respectable number of points from the back end, as well, including three 40-point campaigns, two of which also exceeded 50 points.
McAvoy’s experience and ability to thrive in the intense spotlight of Boston work in his favor to be the player eventually chosen as captain. He likely knows full well the hallowed place the Bruins captain occupies in one of professional sports’ most successful cities and what his potential predecessor as captain, Marchand, meant to the city. And McAvoy is already one of the longest-tenured members of the team.
McAvoy’s steely disposition and willingness to play a physically robust game are qualities that endear him to Bruins fans and media, and he can go to any player in Boston’s dressing room and hold them accountable, as he holds himself equally accountable in the press and on the ice. Thus, in our estimation, it’ll be either Pastrnak or McAvoy who eventually gets the Bruins’ ‘C’. Either player would be a solid pick for the job.
3. Elias Lindholm
An outside shot for Boston’s captaincy is Lindholm, who is entering his second season as a Bruin.
The 30-year-old center is signed through the summer of 2031, and while he may not be the equal of legendary Boston center Patrice Bergeron, Lindholm does have some of Bergeron’s qualities, and he’s entering his 13th season as an above-average NHLer. That type of experience is what captains should have when they put on a ‘C’ for a team.
Lindholm doesn’t have the emotional connection to Boston’s captaincy, at least in the minds of many Bruins fans who have only seen him play one season for their team. And certainly, Lindholm did not have an ideal first season as a Bruin, posting only 17 goals and 47 points in 82 games – the second straight season he’s had disappointing results on offense. If he’s ever going to be Boston’s captain, Lindholm will have to be better than that – especially considering he’s earning $7.75-million per season.
Still, Boston GM Don Sweeney made a major investment when he signed Lindholm as a UFA last summer, and that investment could wind up leading to the Bruins offering Lindholm their captaincy sometime down the line. It won’t happen this year, and it may not happen next year, but we can see Lindholm eventually getting an ‘A’ on his jersey, and perhaps a few years from now, he becomes Boston’s captain. But giving him the ‘C’ would snub McAvoy and Pastrnak, so don’t expect Lindholm as Bruins captain anytime soon.
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