At the end of an abysmal 2022-23 season a few months ago, Blackhawks fans knew they were watching the end of an era. Chicago’s championship dynasty ended several years ago, and the team has been on a slow decline since (although rookie Connor Bedard faces expectations to get the team back to the promised land). However, the era of the captaincy of Jonathan Toews was suddenly no more.
Toews became captain of the Blackhawks on July 18, 2008, and never looked back, serving in the role for over one thousand games over 15 seasons. With Toews likely announcing his retirement sometime in the near future, it’s safe to say it won’t be easy for the Blackhawks to fill his spot.
In the NHL’s annual “32 in 32” series, where they take a closer look at questions facing each of the league’s teams, Sunday saw an intriguing question being asked of the young squad: “Who will be Blackhawks captain?” The story outlined a few options, including Connor Murphy, who’s the longest-tenured player in Chicago, or Seth Jones, who is locked up under contract for the next six years. However, it was the third option which seemed to be the most enticing.
“Do the Blackhawks leave the captaincy vacant this season and name Bedard to that role next season?”
– NHL.com
The story went on to compare the situation to the Oilers with Connor McDavid, who followed a similar plan. The advantages to leaving the spot vacant are twofold. For starters, Bedard is the new face of the franchise and deserves to be the next captain. The 18-year-old is one of the most highly-touted prospects of this century, drawing comparisons to McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Though the Blackhawks took Patrick Kane first overall back in 2007, Bedard is generating more hype than any of the team’s prospects ever have. This offseason, all eyes have been on Bedard.
With that being said, who better to lead the team as captain than the new face of the franchise? If Bedard performs as well as his expectations, he’ll be in Chicago for decades. If Chicago was to give him the captain’s spot, he could serve in the role for a similar length of time as Toews did.
A Win-Win?
An additional benefit to the plan is that it offers the Blackhawks a chance to honor Toews’ legacy. When asked back in May about his willingness to fulfill the role, Murphy expressed the importance of honoring the legend. His words still ring true three months later.
“I DON’T KNOW IF THAT WOULD BE RIGHT AFTER TAZER. I DON’T KNOW IF ANYONE COULD LIVE UP TO THAT ANYWAY. SO I DON’T KNOW IF THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD EVEN HAPPEN, HONESTLY.”
– Connor Murphy
Intentionally leaving the role empty for a season would be a great way to pay tribute to the Blackhawks’ beloved captain, and would open up the opportunity for Bedard to eventually step into a leadership role. The next face of the franchise is the team’s logical next captain – just not yet.
