There has been plenty of discussion this week regarding the potential for a new Boston Bruins captain. The recent comments by Cam Neely have ignited the conversation focused on officially anointing David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy.
They’re both fine choices. The Bruins can’t go wrong with either one of them. I would even argue that Jeremy Swayman might be a great option.
But the bottom line is that the Bruins should just forget about naming a captain right now. There is no clear-cut candidate to take over. It wasn’t like when Patrice Bergeron retired that naming Brad Marchand was an automatic thought.
In fact, it’s even fair to posit that naming one of Pastrnak or McAvoy could alienate the other.
Let’s focus on that point for a minute. Would McAvoy feel like the Bruins passed him over if Pastrnak gets the C? Would the same be true if McAvoy gets the nod?
While that’s not to say that some sort of animosity could brew from the situation, it’s certainly worth considering how meaningful both players are to the organization. That’s why potentially passing one player over the other might not be the best idea moving forward.
But there might just be a way that the Bruins could make both Pastrnak and McAvoy captains without rocking the boat.
Bruins should explore naming co-captains
Technically, the NHL does not allow more than one captain to be named at any single point. So, it’s not like the Bruins could have both Pastrnak and McAvoy wear the C at the same time.
But what if they took turns?
Again, the rulebook would not allow them to alternate the C throughout the season. But what if one player wore the C for the first half of the season and then the other for the second half? That might be an interesting workaround to the situation.
That situation, in fact, wouldn’t be the first time the Bruins did something like that. There’s an interesting precedent with Ray Bourque and Rick Middleton. During the 1985-86 season, following Terry O’Reilly’s retirement, the two players alternated the C, one wearing it during home games, and the other on the road.
That’s not technically possible at this point. But formally naming one for one part of the season and then another for the other portion could solve the matter.
There’s one problem Boston might face
The idea wouldn’t be the craziest one in the world. Having McAvoy and Pastrnak split the captaincy could be a way out. But there might be a problem during the playoffs. Who would wear the C during the postseason? Should the Bruins win the Cup, who gets to lift it?
Would it even matter?
The bottom line is that winning the Stanley Cup trumps everything. But for ceremonial purposes, would it matter who’s wearing the C at the time? Perhaps that is something that the entire organization would have to iron out to avoid any unpleasant conversations once the postseason rolls around.
In the meantime, the Bruins can get away with sidestepping a potential argument by keeping things the way they are.
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