Ex-Bruins coach chimes in on who the Bruins should name as the team's next captain

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Mike Armenti
August 2, 2023 (1:18 PM)

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Whoever takes over as captain for the Boston Bruins will have some pretty big shoes to fill after Patrice Bergeron opted to hang up his skates and announce his retirement from the NHL last week. The Bruins have a few solid candidates among their ranks in David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and, of course, Brad Marchand, but are any able to handle the burden that comes with wearing the C on his chest? Former Bruins coach and current Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy believes so.

During a recent interview, Cassidy, now a Stanley Cup winner with the Vegas Golden Knights, had stated that the obvious pick is Marchand, adding that he believes the league's MVP (most valuable pest) has what it takes to be an NHL captain.

"I do. Not that many guys are the perfect kind of mix of everything, right? I think Bergeron was good at that. He led by example, and he's still the hardest worker in practice, and off-ice he made sure everyone felt welcome."

"Brad will be a great leader, leading by example, will to win, been there done it."

Cassidy did point to one area where Marchand might have to work on if he does indeed land the captaincy in Boston, revealing that Marchand's high expectations can sometimes intimidate younger players.

"He'll just have to learn to deal with the younger players that are coming into the league that still haven't found their traction. That will be the one challenge for Brad because he's got high expectations of everybody. That's just the way he is, and there's nothing wrong with that. But how he communicates with those guys, my guess, is that will probably be his biggest challenge."

Marchand with a C on his chest going around licking people might not be conduct that is acceptable from a leader, so he'd certainly have to tone down some of the antics and adjust his role a bit to become a better example and role model if he does end up being named the team's next captain.