Donnelly: 5 options to become the next Bruins captain post-Bergeron

Believe it or not, it was just three seasons ago we were talking about the Bruins transitioning the captaincy from Zdeno Chara to Patrice Bergeron. 

With Bergeron calling it a career almost a week ago now, Boston is back to another transition of leadership. This time, however, the transition may not be as obvious as it was going from Chara to Bergeron, who the former lauded as his "co-captain" for several seasons. 

Regardless, No. 33 and No. 37 championed a culture that is as exalted around the league and the city as the Bruins' is. While the holes left by Bergeron's departure both on and off the ice are significant in their own ways, Boston at least appears in much better shape to handle the task of filling the leadership void. On the flip side, whoever will be the heir apparent as the next franchise center is yet to emerge. 

But culture and leadership aren't things that dissolve overnight. As such, Bergeron feels the organization remains in good hands going forward.

"Obviously, it’s a lot of guys that built that culture and how we want things to kind of be around the locker room and being inclusive and whatnot," Bergeron said in his retirement press conference at TD Garden last Wednesday. "Also, not just with the players but also with everyone kind of surrounding the team that’s involved in the day-to-day. It means a lot, and I know these guys will be great."

As for the actual procedure for naming the next captain, it's only just beginning for the B's.

"We haven't really discussed that yet," Cam Neely said following Bergeron's press conference. "You know, Coach [Jim Montgomery] will be involved. Don [Sweeney] will be involved and that stuff, then we'll go from there."

He added, "I think, if players that played with Patrice didn't take anything away from playing with him, then that's on them. He was such a great role model, leader, friend and teammate."

Bergeron was the evident choice to succeed Chara for the better part of a decade. While it's also a "no-brainer" to send No. 37 to the rafters, whoever will grab the reins from him is anything but, although there are some strong candidates that immediately stand out.

Here are five options as Bergeron's successor to the 'C':

1. Brad Marchand

Marchand would certainly fit the same model the Bruins had when going from Chara to Bergeron, in the sense that he had been riding shotgun with the latter two in Boston's leadership core. No. 63 is also now the longest-tenured Bruin (and second-longest tenured athlete in the city), for what it's worth. 

Last season, Marchand appeared to take a measured step in the leadership department, perhaps in preparation for life without Bergeron, who said he had an idea 2022-23 would be his final season. Marchand's growth as a leader was particularly evident in the playoffs when Bergeron was out of the lineup. He took just one penalty against the Panthers, refusing to get baited into extracurriculars as he would have four or five years ago when he was licking Ryan Callahan and Leo Komarov or even during the regular season.

"We've talked about it internally that we think Brad has done a really, really good job of taking a leadership role," Sweeney said of Marchand between Games 4 and 5. "He's an important player for our club on the ice, and now obviously with Patrice and David [Krejci] being out, I think he's assumed a lot of those responsibilities and done a heck of a job."

Montgomery said, "I have [seen Marchand take on more responsibility]. He's been excellent, as have the other guys. Everybody knows you don't fill Patrice's shoes with one person, but he's taken the lead. I've heard his voice more in the locker room between periods and also the daily times when I'm walking into the locker room to talk about what we're going to do in practice. Usually, Patrice is talking, and I hear Brad talking now. He's taken it upon himself and he's a great leader. I've said all year, we're blessed in leadership qualities."

It is, however, only natural to consider Marchand's long-term future with the Bruins when considering him for the captaincy. The winger is still a top-flight winger, but he is 35 with three years remaining on his contract. Does Boston want to find itself in the same situation once again when it comes time for Marchand to call it quits? It will be sooner rather than later, after all. 

With or without the 'C' on his sweater, Marchand won't be changing the way he plans to carry himself as a leader around the room. 

"Obviously, it's a huge honor, but at the end of the day, it's just a letter," Marchand said to WBZ's Dan Roche after Bergeron retired. "I think it's more about having the same commitment to the team game every single day and making sure you hold yourself to a very high standard. Regardless of whether you have a letter on your jersey or not, I think we've all tried to push that everybody in our room can be a leader and step up at different times. You've seen that with their group, you know, at times of the year, different guys stepping up and taking control. 

"So, we don't put a ton of pressure on who wears a letter. This is more about when it's your time to step up and you do that and give it your best. At the end of the day, we'll see how it all plays out, but it's not something that I think we're thinking a whole lot about right now."

2. Charlie McAvoy

McAvoy has been just a popular candidate thrown out there as Marchand in the 'Who ya got?' to succeed Bergeron. It's easy to see why as No. 73 has been the anchor of the defense group since Chara's departure.

"What you've built here is special, and I promise I'll do whatever I can to take good care of it," McAvoy said to Bergeron in a tribute posted on the Bruins' social media, spawning all sorts of guesswork as to whether or not it could mean anything. But as Marchand said, it'll be a collective undertaking from the new leadership group.

"Chuckie McAvoy is trying to take that next step to be a good leader," Marchand said between Games 3 and 4 in Florida. "It especially helps having him back in the D corps to do that, but you do it by committee."

From a longevity standpoint, McAvoy certainly makes sense. He's entering the second year of an eight-year contract that will pay him $9.5 million annually until the 2030 offseason. Couple his contract with an increased presence in recent years with an 'A' on his sweater, and McAvoy is very much a face of the franchise like Marchand and David Pastrnak, He projects to continue to be the leader of the blue line as a do-it-all tone-setter. 

I did hear 98.5 The Sports Hub's Ty Anderson mention on the radio with Zolak & Bertrand how McAvoy can run hot after losses, something I've also noticed in my time covering the Bruins during the 2021-22 season and the end of 2022-23. Granted, that's all from what we see in talking to him with microphones shoved in his face – I certainly wouldn't want to deal with that after a loss. Still, there's something to be said for an even-keeled, unflappable presence after a loss or even a win. 

Either way, between his on-ice impact and his continued growth off of it, McAvoy is right up there with Marchand as the arguable top candidate to assume the captaincy. 

"Charlie McAvoy said it best, like other guys have to pick it up and carry forward," Neely said. 

3. David Pastrnak

As the organization's best player, Pastrnak could be in the conversation, but not nearly as much as the previous two. Longevity is on his side, though, just as it is with McAvoy as No. 88 will begin his eight-year, $90-million extension in 2023-24. Pastrnak, the second-longest-tenured Bruin after debuting in 2014, can take over games on the ice just as easily as he can take over a room with his bright personality. Similar to McAvoy and Carlo, he is a key piece of the next wave for Boston, perhaps the most important piece of this next core. Like his counterparts, Pastrnak has taken on a larger role in recent years, having sported an 'A' on a pretty regular basis. 

4. Brandon Carlo

Speaking of an even-keeled, unflappable presence, that's Carlo, who I could see being captain material for a lot of other teams. Carries himself with such calmness and conviction. Like McAvoy, has taken on additional responsibilities in recent years and learned under Chara's tutelage upon entering the league. Carlo is also Boston's NHLPA rep and spoke candidly and with class in the wake of the Kyle Beach situation in Chicago. Still just 26 with four years left on his deal, which includes trade protection, but like Pastrnak, don't expect him to be a favorite anytime soon. 

5. Charlie Coyle

Coyle falls into the same category as Carlo in the sense of the way he carries himself as a confident, collected individual. He's been a strong ambassador of the Spoked-B well as the local kid. Could also see him as captain material elsewhere. He has very long odds in Boston, though. The 31-year-old has three years left on a contract with trade protection, and whether or not he's in Black and Gold beyond that remains to be seen. He'll be expected to take on a much larger role on the ice, penciled in as a top-six center once again. An elevated role off the ice is assumed to be on the docket as well, but adding a 'C' to the heaping pile in front of him could be too much as well.