Winds of Change in Anaheim, Who is the Ducks Next Captain?

Brad Senecal

While it is definitely tough to see Getzlaf retire it is going to be even more interested to see who the Ducks pick as the new captain. When Scott Niedermayer retired, Getzlaf was clearly the obvious choice as he was the homegrown kid who quickly became one of the stars of the league. While Teemu Selanne was still part of the team and arguably the face of the franchise, Getzlaf was clearly being groomed into the role over the prior number of years.

Now the Ducks are in a very interesting place on the rebuilding end. Trevor Zegras is clearly the future of this franchise, but he is still just 20 years old and growing into the game. And while I am a huge fan of the Ducks new superstar, he just doesn’t have the same aura about him that Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, or Gabriel Landeskog did when they became young captains.

I am going to take the easy way out and pick Cam Fowler, but this is not just a default selection. Fowler, similar to Getzlaf, is a homegrown player that the team drafted in 2010 and has been rock solid on the blueline ever since. Now a 30-year-old veteran, he has been a leader for many years all whilst chasing the teams defensive records. While other veterans such as Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg are still with the team, Fowler has been an important piece to this team for a long time and is still signed for 4 more seasons. He is very deserving of being the captain moving forward.

Ben Thomasian

Well, it’s certainly a time for the Ducks faithful. For many, Getzlaf may be the only captain of the Ducks they’ve ever known. Many things can be said about this franchise great, however, as they say: “Out with the old and in with the new.” So now that the captain dad is gone, who’s next in line for the top job amongst the player group?

There’s a case to be made that a young player could take the reins of the team given they’ve in some ways just started a rebuild. The idea being, that they would grow with the team. However, of that young group, Troy Terry may be the only player who appears to be in the mix right now. Given that this is his first season as a full-time NHL player it may be prudent to hold back on him just for now. That other aspect is that the leadership of the team should be built on the back of experience, with that experience tutoring the youth, who in turn become the experience. Thus, perpetuating the cycle. Given this, I believe that giving a young player the captaincy is akin to the blind leading the blind. They may find their way, but will it be through luck or by design?

The greatest rugby team in modern history, the All Blacks, have an internal ‘motto’ of sorts, to leave the jersey in a better state when they leave to when they got there. This culture drives leadership at the ground level and builds it over time. With this in mind, I believe that there can only be two options for the Ducks captaincy.

Cam Fowler is one. As a good, but not all-star, defenseman, Fowler like Getzlaf before him has played for only the team that has drafted him. He’s seen multiple coaches, multiple defensive partners. He’s seen the good and he’s seen the bad. If the idea is that experience matters, there are no players on the Ducks roster who have experience with the Ducks that Fowler can boast. With a contract going long into the future, it seems he could be here for some time as well. At least as long as it takes for newcomers Jamie Drysdale and perhaps Olen Zellweger to supersede his offensive role on the blueline. The one thing that may hold the team back here is that Fowler has seemingly been groomed for captaincy for years, and yet by all appearances doesn’t have that on-ice presence that many captains have. That’s not to say he’s no leader, as it’s clear he is. The question is, what type of leader to the Ducks desire?

The other player in question is Adam Henrique. He wore an ‘A’ in New Jersey and has in Anaheim in recent times as well. He’s been an important part of the player group over the past five seasons and has become beloved by the fans. Perhaps most importantly, he appears to be about as calm as can possibly be. A fantastic demeanor in a leader, and particularly a leader of a team which going to see it’s fair share or rough nights. Even through last year’s up and down season when he was removed from the team and placed on waivers, he was unflappable. When the going is good, everything is always alright. However, when the going is tough, the players will look to the coach and the captain and emulate what they do. If the leaders are freaking out, the younger players will freak out with them. I can’t even imagine Henrique freaking out.

In the end, I think the team has seen the writing on the wall for Getzlaf’s career, and them moving Henrique into an on-ice leadership position this season shows what they think of him. Given the choice between Henrique and Fowler, and both are very reasonable choices, if only for a short few seasons, Henrique stands out to me as a captain. As a leader. The team’s on-ice results have declined over the past few seasons, it cannot be denied. But if I were to be asked if the team is in a better place because Henrique’s presence, I would say yes. He’ll leave the jersey in a better state than he when he arrived. For that reason, he’s my choice to lead this young Ducks team into the future.

Chris Bushell

At the ripe old age of 30 I am just barely older than the Ducks franchise itself. And while I remember Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and Scott Nidermayer Ryan Getzlaf has always been “my captain”. Getzlaf was a player I looked up to and truthfully one of favorite players. It will be very odd to watch and see Ducks games without #15 on the ice. However, the winds of change have been swirling in Anaheim for months now and that vacant captaincy is just the next domino. The Ducks will truly usher in the next wave next season and selecting the proper captain will be one of the top decisions that need to be made. It is truly a difficult decision and one that cannot be taken lightly.

As most of my colleagues here have echoed to go the veteran route and select the likes of Cam Fowler or Adam Henrique, I am choosing to go with the youth movement. With any decision in life, I believe there should be no half measures. If the Ducks truly are ushering in the next wave, (and they will be as Getzlaf marks the final piece of the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup Champion team) then they need to fully commit. And the next captain of your Anaheim Ducks should be Trevor Zegras. Now I recognize this is the first full pro season for Zegras and he has a lot to learn but he is showing a lot of those qualities now. The Ducks have been out of the playoffs for a bit now. And yet Zegras continues to bring it night in and night out. The hope being the Ducks are contenders again soon, but it is good to see such a young player not just phoning it in in the late stages of the season. He also has the leadership off the ice as evidence by his comments following the Jay Beagle-Troy Terry incident in Arizona just a few nights ago.

Like great leaders at young ages through history Zegras would also have veterans around him that can help guide and mold his captaincy. Placing the A on Henrique and Fowler or even Jakob Silfverberg could guide Zegras through the rough patches. I believe giving Zegras the C now allows this team to have their next 10+ year captain and the one that guides them back to the Stanley Cup.