The Calgary Flames are still a team in the middle of a rebuild, but the long view is starting to come into focus. Mikael Backlund remains the captain for now, and at 37, he has two years left on his current contract. That means he’ll finish the final season at the Scotiabank SaddleDome, spend one year at Scotia Place, and then likely move toward retirement.
By then, Calgary is hoping to be back to at least a slightly competitive level. With a strong prospect pool, the organization will be looking for the next voice to guide a young core into what could be a very successful stretch of Flames hockey.
There’s even a world where the next captain is the kind of player who gets the job early, in the mold of Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and, likely, Macklin Celebrini. If that happens in Calgary, it would probably come from a player drafted in the next few years.
But that feels unlikely for the Flames. More realistically, the next captain will come from the current group, with young players expected to grow into leadership roles around Backlund, Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Whitecloud over the next 18 months.
The team could also choose to go without a captain for a season after Backlund’s likely departure. But if Calgary wants someone in place by 2028/29, here are five possible candidates from the current roster.
Zach Whitecloud checks in at No. 5.
He never wore the C with the Vegas Golden Knights, but Whitecloud has long carried the reputation of being a leader in the NHL. That was obvious almost immediately after he arrived in Calgary, where it quickly became clear why he was such a fan favorite in Vegas.
Whitecloud brings a lot more than steady play. Off the ice, he’s described as humble, grounded and easy to like. On the ice, he already projects as a responsible leader, and if he stays with the Flames over the next few seasons, an ‘A’ would seem like the minimum.
He lands fifth here because of the constant trade talk around him. There’s also the age factor: by the end of the 2026/27 season, he’ll be 30, and Calgary may prefer to put the captaincy on a younger player who can anchor the franchise for the next decade. Even so, Whitecloud absolutely fits the profile of a captain, and if the Flames decide veteran leadership is the right path, the Manitoba native would be one of the strongest options available.
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Two Flames Questions Could Define How Painful This Rebuild Gets
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Dustin Wolf sits at the center of that conversation after a sophomore slump in 2025-26, because Calgary needs him to look like the elite goalie he was projected to be after signing his seven-year, $52.5 million extension. If he rebounds, the rebuild can at least point to a foundational piece in net. If he does not, and the season goes sideways, the Flames may be staring at a finish near the bottom of the standings and a draft lottery outcome that could shape the franchise for years. [Read more 🡒]