Who should be the next captain of the Anaheim Ducks?

Since Ryan Getzlaf retired at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Anaheim Ducks have been without a captain leading the team. Because of the twelve-year tenure of Getzlaf as captain, it makes sense that the organization would take a few seasons to decide who they want to be the team's next leader.

However, with the team looking to make some strides and come out of this rebuild, General Manager Pat Verbeek and Head Coach Greg Cronin have pointed out in an NHL.com interview the need to have a captain leading this team. This article will look at three potential candidates who are the most likely to dawn the 'C' when the season opens in October.

Cam Fowler

Cam Fowler is the longest-tenured Anaheim Duck on the current roster and he has served as an alternate captain for the last four seasons. The thirty-two-year-old defenceman has been a player heavily relied upon by coaches to eat up minutes in recent years and has provided a veteran presence for the many young players who have joined the team in the last few years.

While Cam has great leadership ability and could captain the team well, I think that the Ducks need a captain who will lead the team for many years to come. Fowler only has one year left on his deal after this season. While he will likely get brought back on a low-term low-cost deal, his play has started to regress and his importance on the backend is beginning to decrease with the influx of young defensive talent. He should continue wearing the ‘A’ for the rest of his time as a Duck, but the next captain should be someone within the youth core of the Ducks who will be an important piece of the team for this next chapter. 

Troy Terry

Troy Terry was another player who wore an ‘A’ on his sweater last year. During his time as a Duck, Terry has had to earn every inch he’s gotten on this team. He was drafted in the fifth round and spent a handful of years on the bottom lines and in the minors before breaking out as a cornerstone piece of this team in 2021-22. He knows the hard work and discipline it takes to be a good player in the league.

Those are things that can contribute to him being an effective captain for this team. Additionally, he is a little bit older (twenty-five years old) than the young youth movement that has come onto the team in recent years. Terry having a few more years on some of the players helps give him the maturity and experience as the leader that younger players can look up to. I think Terry could be a very excellent option to captain this team. Although his point totals decreased a bit last year, he has the ability to lead well with how he plays and also with his character off the ice.  He is signed to be a Duck till the end of the 2029-30 season, so he would be able to lead this team for a long time.

Mason McTavish 

Mason McTavish got his opportunity to be a consistent alternate captain this last year once Adam Henrique was traded away at the deadline. Throughout Mctavish’s junior career, he was given opportunities to wear a letter on his sweater on numerous occasions. He was an alternate on the Peterborough Petes and was the captain of Team Canada for the U18s in 2021 and for the World Juniors in 2022. It is worth mentioning that both times he captained Team Canada, they won the gold medal. McTavish knows how to lead teams to success and win as a leader.

While McTavish is still young (21 years old ) and is only beginning to show what he can do in the league, he is someone who is going to grow with this team's success. He is one of the most important pieces of the future of this team. Giving McTavish the ‘C’ now will allow him to grow into that role and mature with that responsibility.  The fact that he has already been given an alternate captain role at a young age shows the influence he already has on this team. Promoting him to the captain would be a progression that makes a lot of sense.

Conclusion

All three of these nominations would be great captains for this team in the upcoming season, however, when you are picking a captain I believe it is important to choose someone who is going to lead the team for many years to come, especially with a young team. For that reason, I think the best choice for the Ducks would be to make Mason McTavish the next captain of the team. With the new jerseys and the new branding, he can usher in this new era of Ducks hockey.

His penalty troubles and defensive play need some work to be a more reliable player, but he has the skill and potential to be one of the top players on this team for many years to come. He already has leadership abilities and can grow into the captaincy role more as he continues maturing. Give McTavish the 'C' and hopefully, he will soon be the next Anaheim Duck to touch the Stanley Cup.