Who will be captain of the Vancouver Canucks next season?
The Vancouver Canucks face many critical decisions this offseason.
Will they be looking for a new general manager? How about a head coach? Will Jim Rutherford continue to stick around?
The Canucks also need to decide whether or not they want to name a captain before next season.
National pundits have already started to give their opinions.
Sportsnet intermission panel debating who should be the next Canucks captain.
Three answers from three different analysts:
Botterill: Hronek
Cosentino: Marcus Pettersson
Gazdik: player not on the team yet— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) April 2, 2026
As buzz around potential Canucks captains increases, here are some options to fill the void.
1. Filip Hronek
If the Canucks are going to name a captain prior to next season, Filip Hronek is the most likely candidate.
He’s been the most consistent Canucks player in this miserable season, and has looked like a serviceable number one defenceman in Hughes’ absence.
But is he captain material?
“He would be on that very short list for sure,” Canucks president Jim Rutherford said on the 100% Hockey podcast. “He has all the qualities to be a very good captain. He’s a ‘What you see on the ice is what you see off the ice.’ He’s a leader.”
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also wrote that some Canucks have lauded his leadership.
“Hronek’s discussed everything from practice habits to how workouts are done to punctuality to attire in an attempt to sharpen things,” Friedman wrote. “Lots of talk he’ll be the new captain. Whether or not that’s true, he’s definitely acting as one.”
2. Brock Boeser
Brock Boeser is one of the lone remaining pieces from a failed Jim Benning regime.
Drafted over 10 years ago in the first round by the Canucks, Boeser is the longest-tenured member of the Canucks, considering that he became an NHLer before Thatcher Demko.
The 29-year-old tends to say the right things off the ice, even if his answers are a little cliché. It also looks like the Canucks have fun with Boeser, which is evident by their cutting him off in applause every time he gets the postgame axe this season.
Hatty goes well with an axe. 🪓 pic.twitter.com/4halDLyAQo
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 2, 2026
He might not have Hronek’s intensity, but Boeser could be more of a good-vibes, veteran leader.
3. Marcus Petterson
Remember when the debate was between whether Elias Pettersson or Hughes should be the captain?
Well, Elias Pettersson is still here, but he doesn’t appear to be the Pettersson who could get captain consideration.
Marcus Pettersson came from the school of Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins legend went out of his way to praise Pettersson’s character after the defenceman joined Vancouver.
There’s evidence that he isn’t shy about being a vocal leader. Pettersson arguably represents that middle ground between Hronek’s intensity and Boeser’s calm demeanour.
4. Teddy Blueger
It’s hard to believe that Teddy Blueger is one of the longest-tenured members on the Canucks.
The Latvian centre has spent three years in Vancouver, and he’s already expressed a desire to continue playing for the Canucks beyond this season.
Blueger isn’t the most skilled guy on the team, but he plays the right way and is one of the few guys who sounds like a thoughtful leader when speaking publicly.
“I think we’ve got to find some character in our group,” he said back on Feb. 5. “Just find…probably some more respect for each other, some appreciation to be in this league.”
5. Someone not on the team
Could the Canucks captain next season be someone who isn’t even on the team?
The Canucks haven’t done that since… never mind.
One option for the Canucks is that they could find someone who is captain material on the free agent market.
The best actual player in free agency who could fill that role is Charlie Coyle, who’s having a career season with the Columbus Blue Jackets while wearing an “A” on his jersey.
Anders Lee, Claude Giroux, Boone Jenner, and Nick Foglino are pending unrestricted free agents who have been NHL captains before. So is Jonathan Toews, but it’s hard to see Canucks fans accepting that one.
If Vancouver wants to dip into the bucket of beloved veteran leaders who are free agents this summer, Luke Schenn and Troy Stecher could be available as options.
6. No captain
The Canucks rebuild efforts may be defined by their willingness to be patient.
Will whoever’s in charge of leading the rebuild be able to slowly and methodically stockpile assets? Will they avoid shortcuts that have doomed the Canucks for years?
Vancouver needs a patient approach to their rebuild, and, coincidentally, being patient with their captaincy decision is the right call as well.