With Bo Horvat in New York, Connor Bedard in Chicago and Drew Doughty finally wearing the C in Los Angeles, the Canucks are one of the NHL teams still waiting to hand out that next captaincy. That doesn’t mean the search has to end quickly. In fact, the organization sounds perfectly comfortable letting the room sort itself out first.
Head coach Manny Malhotra made that much clear when he said the team “talked about it earlier in the summer that the leaders of this group will emerge when the time is right.” He added, “That’s going to play out over the next few weeks to see who takes hold of that type of role, and we see who the guys want to follow.
But we’re not in any rush to put A’s and C’s on guys. When it happens, it happens.”
That approach leaves the door open for a few obvious names, and Filip Hronek looks like the steadiest one in the group. In the post- Quinn Hughes era in Vancouver, Hronek has already stepped into a bigger leadership role, and last season he had a major impact on the rest of the roster during a messy stretch for the club. He was one of the team’s most reliable players and posted the best point total of his career even while playing in an environment that wasn’t exactly built for offense.
Hronek’s case gets stronger when you look at the contract situation. He’s signed through 2032, and his no-move clause becomes a 15-team modified no-trade clause in the 2028-29 season.
He has also said he doesn’t want to leave the team even though he knows they will likely finish near the bottom of the standings. That kind of commitment would make him a natural fit if the Canucks decide to put the letter on someone now.
Brock Boeser is making his own push, too. There’s been plenty of talk about him becoming a leader for this group during the preseason, and he’s already been showing the kind of buy-in teams look for. He’s spoken about learning leadership from the Sedin Twins, and he got an early jump on the season by returning to Vancouver and working alongside Thatcher Demko.
Re energy and positivity around Canucks, GM Ryan Johnson said it was players who decided to report early and start training and building chemistry together.
Thatcher Demko and Brock Boeser spearheaded that initiative. Everyone on the roster was in VAN by Sept. 1.
- Iain MacIntyre (@imacSportsnet) September 16, 2026
That kind of early arrival and shared work has the feel of a team trying to build something real, not just go through the motions. Boeser also has the long-term piece in his favor.
A lot of people expected him to leave in the 2025 offseason, but he stayed and signed on for seven more years. If the Canucks want a captain who can help bridge the gap to the next wave, he fits that profile.
Long term, the options may be even broader. The Canucks’ last three first-round picks - Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotny - have all been praised for the intangibles they bring to a locker room.
And as recent Stanley Cup teams have shown, leadership doesn’t always come from one lone voice. The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers both leaned on multiple players with letters, including Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho for the Hurricanes, and Brad Marchand and Kyle Okposo in the Panthers’ repeat wins.
For now, though, there’s no need to force it. The Canucks can let the next leader reveal himself before putting the C on anyone’s chest.
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Canucks Just Rewarded A Leader This Organization Clearly Values
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Now the Canucks have rewarded that kind of value with a two-way NHL contract, giving the organization added flexibility while keeping Wouters in a familiar leadership role. It means Vancouver can call on him when needed, but it also leaves him right where the club has leaned on him most, helping guide younger players in Abbotsford while continuing to be the steady presence the team clearly believes in. [Read more 🡒]