The Bruins are finally going to put a “C” back on a sweater.
Don Sweeney cleared up part of one of the offseason’s biggest questions on Wednesday at the team’s training camp opening press conference, saying Boston will name a captain before the season starts. He didn’t reveal who it will be, but he made it clear the club isn’t planning to leave the leadership setup exactly as it was last year.
“We understand the legacy of our organization and we want to do it the right way. But we’ll make that perfectly clear that we’ll announce that before the season starts,” said Sweeney.
Last season, the Bruins operated with three alternate captains, including Hampus Lindholm, while David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy were widely seen as the team’s de facto co-captains.
Pastrnak looks like the most obvious choice. He’s the Bruins’ most important skater and the most senior player on the roster, which makes him the leading candidate if Boston goes in that direction.
McAvoy, though, already took the air out of any talk that naming one of the two would create tension. He said last week that whoever gets the job won’t be carrying it alone anyway.
“Look, we’ve been here a long time, the two of us. Dave is going to be what I think a Hall of Famer.
I think he’ll be retired here. He’s done so much,” said McAvoy.
“Who he is as a person and a teammate and what he means to this organization, I love him to death. He’d be extremely deserving.
Whatever happens, it’s out of my hands. But I don’t think there’d be any friction.
It’s not just us. We lean on everyone.
That’s the way (Zdeno Chara) did it. That’s the way (Patrice Bergeron) did it.
It’s not something you just do alone. I thought it was a good exercise last year and collaboration in how we wanted to do it together.
Whatever happens, it’s not my choice.”
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Bruins Face A Pavel Zacha Decision That Just Got Tougher
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The wrinkle for Boston is the new collective bargaining agreement, which trims the longest deal the Bruins can give one of their own players from the old standard. Sweeney also pointed to the ripple effects of rising salaries when discussing his center group, a reminder that every decision on Zacha now sits inside a tighter negotiating window and a payroll picture that leaves less room for error. [Read more 🡒]