Who are the current captains of every NHL team?
Captaincy is a part of sports, but it means more in some sports than others. All in all, though, the captaincy means the most to hockey. In the NHL, your team only has one captain, and they are always the captain. They wear the “C” on their uniform and everything. However, not every NHL team has a captain. Currently, six teams are sans a captain. Arizona and Anaheim are young, rebuilding teams. Seattle is in its second season. The Flyers and Jets have new head coaches who are of the “tough guy” variety. Calgary…hasn’t named anybody to replace Mark Giordano for some reason. And now, the captain of every remaining NHL team.
Zdeno Chara held down the role in Boston for a long time.
Jack Eichel to the Golden Knights. He wasn’t just the team’s best player but also their captain. Instead of naming a young player like Rasmus Dahlin, the new captain, the Sabres opted for the veteran Okposo, a guy approaching 1,000 games in the NHL.
Justin Williams was captain. When he retired, Jordan took the role back over in 2019.
Patrick Kane, are in the mix to be dealt. If that happens, it will be a significant change for the Blackhawks. Toews has been their captain since the 2008-09 season.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar have joined the team. However, Landeskog (no slouch talent-wise, for the record) remains the captain, having had the role since 2012-13.
Nick Foligno in the role. He left to chase a Cup and was then replaced by Jenner. Jenner has been a Blue Jacket his entire career, and in his first season as captain had 23 goals and 21 assists in 59 games during the 2021-22 campaign.
Tyler Seguin were the faces of this franchise. Now in his thirties and more of a complementary piece rather than a star for the Stars, Benn remains the captain for the only franchise he has ever known.
Steve Yzerman, a Hall of Famer, was the captain for 20 years. Then, Nicklas Lidstrom, arguably the greatest defenseman of all time, was in the role. Even his successor, Henrik Zetterberg, was an excellent player if a step below the Hall of Fame. Now, Larkin is in the role and has been since 2020, but as a Michigan native who has been the clear top forward for a few seasons, he is a worthy captain in his own right. He could fill the role for many years.
Wayne Gretzky as the franchise’s greatest icon. Yes, really.
Mikko Koivu was the only captain the Wild franchise had ever known. Seriously, when Koivu took on the role in 2009, he was the first permanent captain named by the team (previously it had weirdly been rotated for years, often month by month). Koivu’s last campaign ended in 2020, so Spurgeon took over the role for the 2020-21 season. The veteran defenseman had been with the team for a decade, so it made sense.
Shea Weber, who is effectively medically retired. A promising young forward, Suzuki is a smart choice for a young, rebuilding team.
Mike Fisher was in the role.
Jack Hughes were both drafted first overall. They both play center. They are both quite good at hockey. However, Hischier was drafted first and arrived first, which may be why he got to be the captain, taking the role starting with the 2020-21 season.
John Tavares left the Islanders for the Maple Leafs. You may have heard about it. When that happened, the veteran Lee took over the role. He got the gig in 2018-19, the season after he scored 40 goals. Maybe that played a role in the decision.
Ryan McDonagh had the role. In his first season as head coach, Gerard Gallant didn’t name a captain, but prior to his second campaign, he put the veteran defenseman Trouba in the role. A somewhat surprising choice but not a bad one.
Erik Karlsson left. Tkachuk, son of Keith and brother of Matthew, took on the role prior to the 2021-22 season. Having started his career with gusto, it seems like a smart choice. Keith, by the way, was the captain of the Coyotes back in the day.
Mario Lemieux and ran with it. The Penguins named a young Crosby captain back prior to the 2007-08 season and haven’t looked back since. Considered by many the best player of his generation, he’s won trophies, lifted multiple Cups, and done it all. A true franchise-altering player and one of the iconic captains in NHL history.
Joe Thornton had the role, and he then passed it to Joe Pavelski, but in time both Joes would be gone. Couture was, frankly, the obvious next guy in line. He’s been a top talent since the 2010-11 season and has spent his entire career in San Jose. Couture has been the captain since the 2019-20 season, and all that’s left is for the franchise to retire his number someday.
Alex Pietrangelo left for Vegas, O’Reilly was then the clear choice to replace him as captain. It’s only been a couple of seasons, but O’Reilly is holding it down for the Blues.
Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly around. If the Leafs ever lift the Cup with Tavares at center, nobody will question the decision.
Chris Clark. Wisely, during the 2009-10 season, the Capitals decided to give the face of the franchise the captaincy. Ovechkin led them to a Cup, and he may someday become the NHL’s leader in career goals while wearing a Capitals uniform.
