Anaheim Ducks’ Best Choices for Next Captain

We last ran a speculative piece on Anaheim’s next captain in November 2021, while Getzlaf was still active. A lot has developed in the last two and a half years, including a change in head coach and general manager. Additionally, two of the five players mentioned in the previous article are no longer in the NHL, so it’s time to reassess who the most likely candidates are to be named captain.

Neither Cronin nor Verbeek hinted at what kind of longevity they want out of their captain, so it remains to be seen whether they want a short-term veteran captain or a player who could hold the role for a decade-plus.

The Veteran Stopgaps: Fowler, Gudas

Cam Fowler

At a specific point in his career, Cam Fowler seemed destined to be the Ducks’ captain in due time. In the 2017 offseason, the then-25-year-old Fowler signed an eight-year extension. The Ducks had just capped off their fifth straight Pacific Division title en route to a Western Conference Final appearance, and a smooth transition of the captaincy seemed in line to maintain this level of success. However, the Ducks championship window fizzled out almost immediately, and the transition of leadership took a backseat to a full-on rebuild.

At 32 years old, Fowler is in line to reach career milestones of 1,000 games and 100 goals next season. With the retirement of Jakob Silfverberg and the trade of Adam Henrique, he’s suddenly the only skater on the roster to have appeared in a playoff game for the Ducks. A lot has changed since Fowler was the heir apparent, but there is a scenario where he is named captain on a short-term basis. He’s under contract for two more seasons, which could be enough time for one of the younger players to mature into leadership roles.

Radko Gudas

Along the same lines of a veteran stopgap, Radko Gudas is the next-best alternative to Fowler. Despite initial criticism of signing the 33-year-old to a three-year contract, Gudas had a solid debut season in Anaheim. The veteran defenseman has been a great asset in an otherwise young position group. Urho Vaakanainen, Jackson LaCombe, and Pavel Mintyukov all seemed to play their best with Gudas as their defensive partner. Additionally, his hard-hitting and aggressive style of play is somewhat unique on Anaheim’s roster.

If Anaheim decides to go with a short-term veteran as captain, they won’t be limited to players currently on the roster. Steven Stamkos has captained the Tampa Bay Lightning for the last decade but is heading into the summer as an unrestricted free agent. Additionally, Corey Perry would be a great sentimental option and would allow him to end his career where it began.

The Getzlaf Influence: Troy Terry

When the question was posed back in 2021, Troy Terry was the most logical choice for the team’s next captain. At the time, he was playing on Getzlaf’s line and was breaking out for the first time in the NHL. His 16-game point streak set a new standard for Terry, who had spent the previous two seasons moving between Anaheim and their American Hockey League affiliate in San Diego.

Getzlaf had an obvious impact on Terry on the ice and in the locker room. In 2021, Getzlaf was breaking franchise records in games and points set by Selanne. As a result, he spent a lot of time in interviews singing the praises of his one-time linemate and mentor. Whatever impact Selanne had left on Getzlaf, the tradition continued. After Getzlaf broke the franchise points record in October 2021, Terry said, “The way he talks about Teemu and what he did for Southern California hockey, and how much he learned from him, it was wild for me to listen to him talk about someone meaning that to him, because that’s exactly what he was to me.”

On the ice, Terry hasn’t matched his 37-goal breakout in 2021-22, but he is still one of the most consistent scoring threats on the roster. He’s finished second on the team in points in the last two seasons and served as one of the team’s rotating alternate captains.

The Lifers: McTavish, Zegras, Carlsson

Mason McTavish

While Terry is undoubtedly the player most influenced by Getzlaf, Mason McTavish’s play is most reminiscent of the former captain. Both big-bodied centers cut their teeth with leadership roles with Team Canada. Both have powerful shots, though McTavish has the propensity to show it off more often than Getzlaf ever did. As a 21-year-old, he proved he was capable of carrying a line this season, as Frank Vatrano’s 37-goal breakout was largely done with McTavish at center.

Not every comparison is positive, though, as McTavish’s 82 penalty minutes this season was similar to Getzlaf’s tendency to commit a bad penalty. While sticking up for a teammate and ending up in the penalty box is noble, the Ducks had a league-leading 330 power play opportunities against, 39 more than the next-closest Florida Panthers.

Trevor Zegras

Trevor Zegras has plenty of vocal detractors, and eyes are sure to roll when suggesting the league’s most overrated player is captain material (from, “Anonymous NHL Player Poll 2024: Who’s the Best Player? Most Overrated? Best Goalie? Worst Road City?” The Athletic, Jan. 31, 2024). However, it’s hard to deny the energy he brings to the team when he’s on the ice. His 51 games missed this season only further cemented the idea that he’s as close to the beating heart of a team as any one player can be, and this pied-piper aura is tailor-made for a leadership role.

Zegras has gone through some ups and downs under his two NHL coaches. Dallas Eakins would shelter his minutes to the point where it seemed like he wasn’t allowed to be put into a position to fail. Cronin came in during the 2023 offseason, and one of his biggest points of emphasis was turning Zegras into a two-way player. When he was in the lineup, he seemed to have a shorter leash when it came to miscues and penalties. With that all said, Verbeek praised Zegras for his two-way play this season.

With a polarizing player like Zegras, this could be seen in one of a few ways. To his detractors, his focus on the defensive side contributed to his decline in production, but his production was the primary reason why the Ducks selected him with a top-10 pick in 2019. To his supporters, this “tough love” approach could be seen as grooming him for the captaincy.

Leo Carlsson

There obviously isn’t a long tradition of teenagers becoming captain of an NHL team, but it’s not unheard of. In fact, three of the league’s current captains were named as teenagers — Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, though McDavid was the only one to take the ice as captain before his 20th birthday. With a Dec. 26 birthday, Leo Carlsson could be the second.

Selected with the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Carlsson instantly became the Ducks’ most highly touted prospect since Paul Kariya. He is the single most important piece to their current rebuild, and his development into a star will largely determine Anaheim’s path back to the postseason. He’s drawn comparisons to Patrice Bergeron and Anze Kopitar, perhaps the two greatest examples of modern two-way centers. Bergeron was an alternate captain for 14 seasons before becoming the captain for his final three seasons, while Kopitar has captained the Los Angeles Kings for eight seasons after serving eight as an alternate.

Ducks Should Define the New Era With a Young Captain

The Ducks will likely emerge from this offseason with a new captain, and this captain should represent the direction the franchise is heading. In the same interview he expressed the desire for a captain, Verbeek indicated a strong push to make the postseason as soon as next season. This suggests the front office considers the rebuild effectively over, and this iteration of the roster, outside of a few free agent signings and prospect callups, is the one that will attempt to break a six-season playoff drought.

With such a young roster, Anaheim returning to the playoffs should be the beginning of a sustained run of success. As a result, the Ducks should name a young captain, one who could reasonably lead the team for a decade-plus. While Terry has been the conventional choice for a few years now, it’s hard to deny the growing case for McTavish or Carlsson. Regardless of who the Ducks choose, they’ll have a unifying leader for the first time since Getzlaf’s retirement in 2022. If history is any indication, they could be Anaheim’s next all-time great.

Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.