The Chicago Blackhawks have a vacancy at alternate captain. There are a handful of players who could wear that "A" going forward.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded Connor Murphy, who wore an "A" on his sweater. One night later, Tuesday night in Winnipeg, Connor Bedard had it on. After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that Bedard would have it for the rest of the season.
On Wednesday, the Blackhawks traded Jason Dickinson to the Edmonton Oilers. Of course, Dickinson was the holder of the other "A". Now, they need someone to take that on for the rest of the season.
There are a handful of candidates who would make good alternate captains. Connor Bedard is a young player who took on the responsibility, but that has a lot to do with his role on the team as the supremely talented number one overall pick.
For this other alternate captain vacancy, going with a veteran makes more sense than another young player. One of these four makes the most sense:
Teuvo Teravainen
Teuvo Teravainen has been a solid veteran in the NHL. He puts up points, shows up to work every day, plays hard, and has won the Stanley Cup with the organization. As one of the elders in the room, it makes sense for him to have a leadership role.
Teravainen definitely has a "lead by example" mentality, but sometimes young players need a leader like that in a room. He is going to give an honest effort that is easy to follow every night.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Tyler Bertuzzi's scrappy playstyle almost inserts him into a leadership role automatically. The Blackhawks signed him to a long-term deal two summers ago so that he could come in and provide a stable veteran around a young group.
Bertuzzi's hard-nosed game is one to admire. If the supremely talented prospects come up and see how hard Bertuzzi works and gets results, they may want to absorb that mentality for themselves.
Alex Vlasic
Alex Vlasic is the longest tenured player on the Chicago Blackhawks now that Murphy and Dickinson are gone. Although he's just 24, he is a veteran leader in the clubhouse.
If the team was going to hand an "A" out to a defenseman, Vlasic is the guy. Matt Grzelcyk is older than Vlasic by a lot, but Grzelcyk is not part of the long-term plan. Vlasic is.
Ryan Donato
Ryan Donato is signed to a long contract with the Blackhawks and is going to be with the group for a while. He scores goals, is hard to play against, and brings maximum effort on every shift he plays.
Donato is also willing to play on any of the four lines and will never complain about it. If he is in a scoring role, he'll do his best to score more often. If he's in a checking role, he will accept and execute. Leaders lead, and Donato is a leader deserving of consideration.
Update on Captain Nick Foligno
Nick Foligno is currently the captain and will be as long as he is with the team. After practice on Thursday, he made it seem like he knew there was a chance that he'd be moved, but it's for the general managers involved to figure out. Right now, he's preparing for Friday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks.
If Foligno remains with the team, they won't have to name a third alternate captain, but they would if he does get moved.
If needing a third one becomes a thing, one of these guys mentioned would certainly be in consideration for that. There is always the chance that Connor Bedard gets named as captain, but that is more likely to be a summertime move.
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