Expectations regarding the next Boston Bruins captain have fueled speculation throughout the offseason. The club has two logical choices in David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. However, picking one over the other could be a seemingly impossible task.
So, the Bruins aren’t complicating things next season. According to a July 29 piece in the Boston Herald, Boston won’t be naming a successor to Brad Marchand.
The piece referred to a dual captaincy in which both Pastrnak and McAvoy would act as co-captains, but wearing an A instead of a C on their sweaters.
The piece called this arrangement a two-headed captaincy in which the duties would be split among Pastrnak and McAvoy.
The fact of the matter is that both stars are default leaders on the ice and in the locker room. That’s why making an argument for either one to don the C is easy.
On the one hand, Pastrnak is the Bruins’ leading scorer. He’s a dynamic forward, capable of putting up 100 points each season. Multiple times last season, Pastrnak carried the Bruins on his shoulders. He single-handedly won games the Bruins shouldn’t have won.
On the other hand, McAvoy is among the NHL’s top blue liners. He’s a legit top-pairing blue liner on any team. His mix of offensive skills and defensive play put him atop most rankings.
Unfortunately, a shoulder injury derailed McAvoy’s season in 2024-25. Assuming he’s fully healthy, he should be back to his dominant self.
That situation makes choosing one of Pastrnak or McAvoy a complicated task. New head coach Marco Sturm will likely need time before settling on a captain. If a decision is made, it will likely come next offseason. It’s highly unlikely that the Bruins settle on a new captain mid-season. Regardless, the Bruins have the luxury of rolling out two captains instead of one.
Could the Boston Bruins have rotating captains in a season?
An interesting question to ponder is: Could the Boston Bruins have rotating captains in one season?
According to the NHL Rule Book in section 2, rule 6.1 and 6.2, a team cannot have more than one captain per game. So, could the Bruins switch the captaincy between McAvoy and Pastrnak at various points in the season?
It’s an intriguing possibility. For instance, each player could wear the C for a month at a time. It remains to be seen if the league could nix such a proposal, but it’s one worth exploring.
The biggest advantage to such an arrangement would be the team’s ability to forego passing one player over another. Instead of snubbing Pastrnak or McAvoy, the club could give each player a shot. Given how Pastrnak and McAvoy are both comfortable with sharing responsibility, it might not be the craziest idea in the world.
Fans may also raise an eyebrow to such an arrangement. But it would be a way to avoid any controversies over leadership roles among fans and the media.
Ultimately, the Bruins could just kick the captaincy can down the road. But as the season progresses, fans could begin to pressure the club to name a permanent captain. If push comes to shove, the club may find itself in an uncomfortable position.
