The Canucks are bad.

You can tell that by taking a quick glance at the standings, you cant get worse than finishing last.  

But for the analyst or fans that are in too deep, we know there’s something wrong on a deeper level here. Over the years, there’s been rumors of locker room divides, commitment issues, or whatever the heck happened between the team and JT Miller. But there’s always one word that keeps coming up. 

Culture. 

With Quinn Hughes being shipped off to Minnesota in December and the team being more dead than doornails and finishing last in the league, this gives the perfect opportunity to give a hard reset to the teams culture.  

(Dean Herman)

But who is the best candidate? What does it mean to be captain? 

For me, I only see three realistic options. 

#1 Brock Boeser 

Brock is the popular choice, he choose to stay here last July when he was an unrestricted free agent. His contract runs for another 6 years, the man bleeds blue and green and gives his best effort every time he steps on the ice.  

The downside on Boeser is he is too connected to a core that couldn’t work together, isn’t vocal or rugged enough to do the job. There’s also the argument that Boeser doesn’t have enough high-end talent to demand resect and control of the room, he’s got a whippersnapper shot and a decent stick but there has been concerns over his speed for years, which will only worsen as he gets older. 

Then again, you don’t really need a top end guy to captain a rebuild, you want a guy who can wrangle all the young players you bring in and teach them. 

Let’s move on. 

#2 Filip Hronek 

The stock for Hronek being the next captain has been on the rise. He picked up the vacant letter after Hughes was traded and was part of the leadership group on the Cech Olympic team. His contract runs for another 5 years so you don’t have to worry about him taking off in the short term. Filip has expressed multiple times that he has enjoyed his time in Vancouver and has no intentions on leaving.  

The knock on Hronek is that he doesn’t care to speak to the media, he spent over a season and a half after coming to the Canucks without speaking to the media.  

#3 Nobody 

Probably the most reasonable option, leaving the captaincy vacant if you have to scratch and claw to defend choosing a captain off the team as it is assembled now, you’re probably better off not having one. 

This allows someone to step up and cement themselves to be chosen for the position next year, or until a young star player from the draft is mature enough to step into the role. Having a fresh face would allow the potential for a full fix of the toxic culture problems in the locker-room. Leaving the fans only to hope the next wave of Canucks won’t fall into the same pits as the last core did.