When the Boston Bruins traded Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, not only did the Bruins lose the last player from the 2011 Stanley-Cup-winning team, but they also lost their captain. With the trade, Marchand became the fifth captain in franchise history to be traded, the most recent before Marchand being Joe Thornton in 2005-06.
Boston has only gone without a captain twice in their history, so it’s not likely they will go without a captain outside the rest of the this season, but, then again, no one saw them trading Marchand in the first place.
Here are three candidates who could replace Marchand as captain of the Bruins.
Candidate #1 – David Pastrnak
Traditionally, Boston has been the type of team to name captains based on their leadership qualities and intangibles, but the way teams operate these days is usually to name the most productive or the most popular players captain. That screams David Pastrnak.
Pastrnak hasn’t missed a regular-season game since 2021-22. Not only that, but the Czech forward has also totalled more than 220 points in his last two full seasons combined (113 in 2022-23, and 110 in 2023-24).
Pastrnak is a disciplined player, as well, and does not spend much time in the penalty box. While there is the chance he will not meet the 100-point mark this season (since he is at only 83 points) that is still nothing to sneeze at. Pastrnak would bring a lot to the table as captain, but whether he’s the right choice remains to be seen.
Candidate #2 – Charlie McAvoy
Going back to the old way of thinking for a second, the Bruins could choose to go to the traditional route of picking a captain and go with a defenseman who has leadership qualities, and someone who is getting popular around the league as well much like Pastrnak has. That person is Charlie McAvoy.
While McAvoy may not be equivalent to Pastrnak when it comes to numbers, where he makes up for that is international exposure. Pastrnak has represented Czechia in the World Championship and the World Junior Championship, but McAvoy has played on a much larger international stage than Pastrnak in the 4 Nations Face-Off, representing the United States.
McAvoy may not have played a ton in that tournament due to injury, but to be named to the U.S. roster for that tournament given how loaded the talent pool is is really saying something. McAvoy is likely to be in consideration for the captaincy as he is slowly becoming one of the more-tenured players on the team, but whether he actually gets a shot remains to be seen.
Candidate #3 – Jeremy Swayman
While NHL Rule 14D technically does not allow goaltenders to serve as the captain, if you read the actual wording it says they cannot serve as an on-ice captain. It has not been done since Roberto Luongo with the Vancouver Canucks, but Boston could conceivably name goaltender Jeremy Swayman the next captain and have another player be designated as the acting on-ice captain.
Now, while he would not be able to perform any captain duties on the ice, this may be good for other players to develop their leadership skills as alternate captains as the team retools. Swayman may not be the most-tenured player on the team, but he certainly holds the locker room to the standard he sets for himself night in and night out: a very high one. While he may be far from the person the Bruins would consider holding the title, he is someone who appears to move the needle in the locker room one way or another by the way he leads the team.
If he were to be named captain, Swayman would become just the eighth netminder in history to be named to the role. However, Boston would be taking on a risk with both the league denying the opportunity and with the lack of real talent and seniority outside the two aforementioned players.
Bruins Have Time to Think
As it stands today, the Bruins are facing good news and bad news: the bad news is that they are four points out of playoff spot and would have to climb over five teams to make it as a wild-card team. The good news is that four of those teams are tied with the same number of points.
Is it theoretically possible they make the playoffs and put off when they have to make a decision about a new captain? Yes. However, considering the way the 2024-25 season has trended for Boston it seems unlikely. Regardless, the decision to name the Bruins’ next captain will not be an easy one.
Boston is back in action today when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET.
