Top 3 Bruins players best fit for the captaincy role
Although former coach Bruce Cassidy vouched for Brad Marchand as the next possible candidate, there are still two players who have the potential to be the team’s new leader. Who’ll be the best suited for the role?

Top 3 contenders for Bruins captaincy [Image Credit: Stanley Cup of Chowder/PNGitem/E! Online]
Boston Bruins are going through an extensive change in the roster, especially talks about their vacant captaincy spot. Following Patrice Bergeron’s retirement from the National Hockey League, the Bruins are yet to name their captain. The 2023-24 regular season is just around the corner and speculations have started on who will be their next leader.
While fans, organization heads, and even former coach Bruce Cassidy has named their possible next captain, two other players have also emerged to take on the competition. Will the team go for the veteran player Brad Marchand or opt for younger players in their 20s?
Cassidy named Brad Marchand as a possible successor of Patrice Bergeron to lead the Bruins in their next season’s quest. Although potential lies within both Bruins’ young and veteran players, former head coach Bruce Cassidy vouches for Marchand as the best possible candidate in the race.
Top 3 contenders to succeed Patrice Bergeron
Brad Marchand
![Brad Marchand [Image Credit: CBS News]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-design-1-4-1024x768.png)
Brad Marchand has received endorsement not only from former head coach Bruce Cassidy but also from several players and organization heads. He has what it takes to be a captain, although communication with younger players may prove to be a challenge for the NHL ‘pest’.
As Cassidy stated, “He’ll just have to learn how to deal with the younger players that are coming into the league and still haven’t found their traction.” The former coach witnessed how the NHL ‘pest’ grew as a leader in all these years and feels he’ll be the best suited for the role.
Needless to say, he has already done a splendid job as the team’s alternate captain. Marchand was also close to Patrice Bergeron and watched the leader closely play on the ice. He talked about how upsetting it was to see Bergeron retire but wished him well for his future endeavor.
David Pastrnak
![David Pastrnak [Image Credit: CBS]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-design-3-2-1024x768.png)
Although Patrice Bergeron’s retirement hit the Bruins hard, the team has a solid foundation with the rest of the core players. Cassidy believes David Pastrnak is one of the few players other than Marchand who has the potential to be a captain.
Although he’s still in his 20s, the forward has proved his worth through his play. He was also close to Bergeron and was often called as a squad including Marchand. Both of the players hoped their Stanley Cup playoff loss won’t be the last play for Bergeron, but unfortunately, their fear came true.
Nicknamed ‘Pasta’, David Pastrnak recorded 617 points in 592 games played in his NHL career. He scored 5 goals in the latest playoff series before the Bruins were wiped out by the Florida Panthers. During the 2022-23 regular season, he scored 61 goals with 52 assists in 82 games.
Charlie McAvoy
![Charlie McAvoy [Image Credit: NHL]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-design-2-2-1024x768.png)
Charlie McAvoy is the third possible captain for the Bruins. The 25-year-old defenceman may be the youngest contender for the captaincy role, but his records endorse him the right to do so. As Cassidy stated, “They’ve got some core pieces there in Pastrnak and McAvoy that I’m sure they’ll consider…at the end of the day, they’ve got good choices.”
He was drafted by the Bruins in 2016 as the 14th overall in the 1st-round pick. As of now, he got a solid score of 230 points in 380 games in his arsenal. He recorded 5 assists in the 2023 playoffs, with a total of 41 points in Stanley Cup games as of now. During last year’s regular season, the defenceman recorded 52 points with 7 goals and 45 assists in 67 games.
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