Marchand, Pastrnak or McAvoy. Who will be the new captain of the Boston Bruins?

After the end of Patrice Bergeron, Boston has two major concerns. Finding a new first line center and a new captain. There are three main candidates Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy.

The question of the captain’s C hasn’t been asked in Boston for 17 years. In 2006, Zdeno Chara became the captain and he led the team for 14 years until 2020.

But even after the departure of the Slovakian giant, the C remained in the right hands, or rather on the right chest. The new captain is the leader and one of the best centers in the league, Patrice Bergeron.

While he certainly deserved to wear the C for longer, age is relentless and Bergeron retired at 38. And there’s no clear-cut captaincy candidate in Boston after 17 years.

The biggest candidates are three. Bergeron’s teammate and friend Brad Marchand, franchise star David Pastrnak and reliable defenseman Charlie McAvoy. All three have connected with Boston their entire careers to date and all would deserve the C.

What are the arguments for each of them? In terms of experience and merit, Marchand is the clear favorite. He will open his 14th season in a Bruins jersey, has seen great leaders, won a Stanley Cup and is one of the oldest players on the team. The logical successor to his buddy Bergeron.

But it’s the age that bothers some fans. They think it’s pointless to give a C to 35-year-old Marchand, who will probably also retire soon and would have to be dealt with by the captain again.

That’s why some are voting for Pastrnak, who at 27 could be captain for years to come. He’s also everyone’s favourite hockey player who is respected by his opponents.

But there is another opinion, and that is that neither Pastrnak nor Marchand are exemplary leaders who can lead a team. The Czech goal scorer focuses on his performance rather than rousing the team with big speeches, similar to the Canadian brawler.

That’s why some fans would prefer to see defenseman Charlie McAvoy as captain. the 25-year-old back is entering his eighth season with the Bruins, and in that time he has already earned respect and status as an elite runner. He’s also more destined for leadership and team management than Pastrnak and Marchand, though he doesn’t have that star status.

McAvoy has already sent a small hint to the world that he might just be the new captain. In a farewell video for Patrice Bergeron, he said

It may not mean anything, of course, but some Bruins fans already see a hint of it. Whoever the captain is, the other two should probably get an “A”.

Source: Boston Bruins, Twitter