Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson used the beginning of his preseason press conference Tuesday morning to answer the biggest question on many fans’ minds: who will be the next captain in Chicago?
“The only plan right now is to sort of just let it breathe for a year. We came off such a successful tenure with Jonathan that a little bit of it is just out of respect for Jonathan, to not fill that spot right away. The other part is not to put that pressure on someone else when you’re coming out of a period of such greatness. And you want the next person to be in a position to succeed and there’s no requirement to have a captain. We just felt that it was best to leave that, push that decision a little bit. We’ll let the chips fall where they may. Over the next year, we’ll see who emerges, see who the best option is and decide next year if it’s appropriate to name someone. We’ll take that as it comes.”
– GM Kyle Davidson
There’s a reason Davidson began his statement with the idea that the decision is “out of respect for Jonathan”. The longest-tenured captain in franchise history served in the role for 15 years and helped lead the team to three Stanley Cup championships. It seems the right thing to do was to leave the role open for a year to illustrate his importance to the franchise. Plus, it isn’t as if anyone on the roster could fill that hole anyway. Who could take the place of a 15-year captain?
Is Bedard The Next Man Up?
The last part of Davidson’s comments about the decision seems to confirm what we’re all assuming: Connor Bedard is the future of the captain role in Chicago. To “decide next year if it’s appropriate to name someone” is essentially deciding next year if Bedard has matured enough to take over the role. Everything I’ve seen from Bedard since before the draft seems to imply that he will be, and the Blackhawks already feel like they’re his team. There is a strong leadership group in Chicago, but Bedard is the clear favorite. He probably won’t get the “A” on his chest this year, but will his play and leadership warrant the “C” next year?
Alternate Captains
The Blackhawks had plenty of options for the captain’s role this year, and they’ll all still retain leadership responsibilities as alternate captains. Taylor Hall is a proven leader and Hart Trophy winner, so he’ll likely receive the honor as a top-line winger. Seth Jones recently stated he’d love to be the team’s captain, and he’s a staple on the defensive top line, so he’s a near-lock as well. 30-year-old defenseman Connor Murphy is now the longest-tenured player on the Blackhawks’ roster and has been an alternate captain for three seasons, so there’s no reason why he couldn’t round out the group. Though the Blackhawks won’t name a captain this year, they’ll have no shortage of leadership throughout the roster.
