BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are in need of a new captain following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron.
No. 37 served as captain for the past three seasons, taking up the mantle following the departure of long-time team leader Zdeni Chara, who's largely credited with building a culture of winning and mutual respect in Boston's locker room.
The two choices that jump out immediately are Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy.
Marchand is the longest tenured Bruin, and has risen to the top 10 in team history in games played, goals, assists, and points. His history is marked with supplemental discipline, but he seems like that natural successor as a core Bruin for the past 13 years.
McAvoy is 10 years younger, but is already one of the best defensemen in the NHL, and has promised to keep Bergeron's leadership legacy alive. He'd be a great choice if the Bruins choose to hand things over to the next wave.
Interestingly, ex-Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy recently chimed in and endorsed Marchand for the gig.
"Not that many guys are the perfect mix of everything, right? I think Bergeron was good at that, he led by example," Cassidy said during a recent appearance on "The Cam & Strick Podcast. "He was still the hardest worker in practice; off ice, he made sure everyone felt welcome...and set some of those rules that (Zdeno Chara) had put in place. Brad will be a great leader in terms of leading by example, will to win, been there done it."
If the Bruins end up tapping Marchand for the job, Cassidy - who coached Marchand and the Bruins for six seasons - said the veteran winger will have to "learn how to deal with the younger players."
"He's got high expectations of everybody," he said. "That's just the way he is, there's nothing wrong with that, but how he communicates with those guys will probably be - my guess - his biggest challenge if he's the guy."
Learning how to deal with younger players was a knock on Cassidy's tenure in Boston, as a reminder.
David Pastrnak is also a suitable choice, but he might be better off focusing on what he does best, which is scoring goals.
Darkhorse candidates include Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo.
The Bruins are playing their centennial season in 2023-24, so expect the next captain to be part of many pregame ceremonies and fanfare beginning in October.