There is only one right move for the Chicago Blackhawks captaincy
By Jim Lynch
The Chicago Blackhawks enter the 2023-24 season in a new position. For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Blackhawks do not have a captain with Jonathan Toews not being re-signed. Entering the new year, there is only one right move the team can make.
The Blackhawks drafted Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard is set to become the face of not just the Blackhawks, but of the entire NHL, but giving him the C still would not be the right call.
There is only one right move for the Chicago Blackhawks captaincy
Jonathan Toews won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks and played in over 1000 NHL games with the team. Toews has been the captain and the face of the franchise for over 10 plus years, which is why the only right move for the Hawks this season is to not have a captain.
The Blackhawks should play the 2023-24 season with a group of alternate captains on the ice to let a leader develop naturally. The roster might be in rebuild mode, but there are a handful of players who could very well be on the team still when the franchise becomes a contender once again.
Connor Bedard, Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and Nick Foligno are some of the top names who could wear a letter this season. Jones has already spoken wanting to be captain of the Blackhawks, and he did commit long term when he joined the team, but I don’t think he fits what the team needs right now.
It seems inevitable that Connor Bedard will be captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, but that does not mean it needs to happen THIS season. Bedard is a rookie about to embark on starting his NHL career on a team that was not prepared to land a franchise player when he was drafted. He already has enough pressure on him this season so handing him the captaincy this year would be a mistake.
Going with the all alternate route would give Bedard a season to get a feel of the NHL, and give Blackhawks fans time to move past Jonathan Toews as the captain. But, if the team does want a captain on the ice, there are two players that definitely should be considered.
Of the entire Blackhawks roster, Connor Murphy has been with the team the longest. Honestly that still comes as a surprise to me, it seems like yesterday the Hawks traded Niklas Hjalmarsson for Murphy. Murphy has worn a letter the last few years and is only signed for the next three seasons.
He has become a real leader on this ice and could be an excellent pick for captain if the Hawks are looking to have one. The other pick is a player who fans have heard a lot about since the Hawks traded for him.
Nick Foligno is a former captain in the NHL. Since the Blackhawks traded for him, Foligno has played a key role in welcoming Bedard to the Blackhawks. Without a doubt, Foligno is a leader and while he might not be the best player on this team or play a ton of minutes, the Hawks could give him the captaincy for the 2023-24 season.
Throughout training camp and the preseason Foligno could win the locker room over and become the captain naturally, or someone else could like Jones or even Taylor Hall. The 2023-24 season is almost here and it will be exciting to see what comes next for the Blackhawks!