Ducks’ next captain will have big shoes to fill

During his end-of-the-season interview, general manager Pat Verbeek said, “I think at some point, we will name a captain this summer.” The offseason is close to its end with rookie camp underway this week and training camp beginning next week. A captain has not yet been named, but technically, summer does not end until Sept. 22, two days before the Ducks’ first preseason game.

The Ducks have several candidates to choose from when naming their next captain. However, whoever is selected will be responsible for replacing Ryan Geztlaf, the Ducks’ previous captain.

Getzlaf’s NHL career spanned 17 seasons, all with the Ducks. He played in 1,157 games and scored 1,019 points. He is the only player in franchise history to play 1,000 games for them and the only player in franchise history to accumulate 1,000 points for them as well.

He was named captain prior to the 2010-11 season—after previous captain Scott Niedermayer announced his retirement—and remained captain until his own retirement following the 2021-22 season.

Getzlaf is regarded as one of, if not the best players in Ducks history, top among franchise leaders in games played, assists and points. He is also top-5 in goals and game-winning goals and is the franchise leader in playoff points with 120.

Getzlaf was 25 when he was named captain. The selection of candidates to be the next Ducks captain skews above and below that range with Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson and Radko Gudas.

Gudas joined the Ducks in July 2023 after signing a three-year, $12 million deal in free agency. A solid presence on the blue line in his first season with the Ducks, Gudas became a fan favorite for his physicality and booming hip checks. His veteran leadership helped players like Urho Vaakanainen and Jackson LaCombe become steady contributors.

Gudas was a regular for postgame media scrums after tough losses and performances this past season and also represented the Ducks at the NHL media tour in Las Vegas, fueling speculation from insiders like Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Gudas will be the Ducks’ next captain.

Terry, who just turned 27 on Wednesday, has taken on a larger leadership role over the past season. After signing a seven-year deal prior to last season, he is now firmly locked down as part of the Ducks’ core. He speaks well with the media and was previously a leader in college while playing for Denver. With Cam Fowler’s future uncertain, Terry will be looked upon to be one of the leaders.

McTavish and Carlsson are part of the next wave of Ducks ready to blossom. McTavish is coming off of consecutive seasons of 40+ points and would have surpassed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career if not for a couple of nagging injuries throughout the 2023-24 season.

Several Ducks players along with head coach Greg Cronin have highlighted McTavish’s leadership qualities and McTavish has already previously captained Canada’s World Juniors team.

Carlsson will be entering his sophomore season after his rookie campaign was interrupted by both a game management plan and a couple of injuries (MCL sprain, concussion). He only managed 29 points in 55 games, but it’s clear that he’s just barely scratching the surface. The youngest among the potential captain candidates at age 19, Carlsson is already looking forward to taking on an elevated role.

“Not really, points-wise. Just trying to be a leader,” Carlsson said to Ducks Stream’s Alexis Downie last month when asked about his goals heading into his sophomore season. “Trying to have a bigger role. (I’m) more comfortable this year going to camp, knowing all the guys, knowing what’s going to happen in camp, what’s going to happen during the season. I’m more prepared this season.”

In an interview on the Missin’ Curfew podcast this summer, former Duck Max Jones discussed how the dynamic of the locker room had changed since Getzlaf retired.

“Getzy was such a leader and then you lose that captaincy, it’s like a free-for-all a little bit in the past few years since he’s been gone. If he was in the room, a lot of guiding would be better throughout the season, especially with the ups and downs of the year. He’d be able to control it and kind of help us with it. Especially, too, you get someone between the team, general manager, owners, you get a guy like that, I feel like that can only help. How can that hurt?

“He was with the boys for so long, it’s like, well, if Getzy says, ‘You guys gotta pick it up a bit in practice, lean on each other a bit more,’ it’s like, yeah, alright we do. Because there was no captain after he left. There wasn’t a leader so it was kind of a free-for-all.”

It’s been two seasons without a captain for the Ducks. Those two seasons have been two of the worst in franchise history. It’s clear that things need to start turning around and appointing a leader amongst the group could help with that.