When your organization gets blessed with on of the best captains you can ask for, it makes it filling that captaincy role when the player leaves, a very intricate process. Ryan Getzlaf was the captain of the Anaheim Ducks for a total of 12 seasons, and looking back at it, it’s safe to say that there’s no regrets to the decision of giving him that role. He has been the perfect backbone to the Anaheim Ducks organization. Getzlaf is the team leader in points, spent each of his 17 seasons as a Duck, continues to work with Anaheim as the Director of Player Development. Ryan Getzlaf is the apideme of a team player and, more importantly, a team leader.
With it being two full seasons since the retiring of Getzlaf and a vacant captaincy, the Ducks are likely in high interests of naming a new captain in the new future. Obviously this isn’t something they would just d to do, they would need the perfect candidate, but they do have some really solid options to choose from. Let’s take a look!
Mason McTavish
Mason McTavish stands out as one of the most obvious answers to being named the next Anaheim Ducks captain, as he has plenty of leadership experience already in his young career. Mason was the 3rd overall pick in 2021, he played many in many different World Junior Championships, and had a letter on the front of his jersey each time. Twice he wore the C for team Canada at the WJC, that being in 2018 and 2020.
Mason struggled mightily in this past season with minor penalties but he had a huge jump in points, showing his offensive abilities to be true, even in the NHL. Just due to McTavish ranking 4th highest in most minor penalties, I think that can be a sign that he’s not quite ready to wear the C, but with one more season perhaps that can change.
Troy Terry
Troy was Getzlaf’s right winger for the last few seasons of Getz’s career. Troy has gone on record many times to talk about all that he’s learned both on and off the ice from Ryan. I think Troy is a very popular option when it comes to who’s ready to take the captain role right now.
Despite playing more games this season than last, he had a drop in points, going from 61 to 54. Terry signed his big contract last season and didn’t live up to it during the first year of that deal but I think there’s lot of room for improvement as the team around him continues to get better and more experienced.
Cam Fowler
Cam Fowler has caught a lot of flack from the media world and, more importantly, the Anaheim Ducks fans over the past few seasons. He’s been on the wrong end of the analytics and has been struggling mightily to hold off the opposing team’s top lines from scoring. When it comes to Fowler being a captain option, this is one mainly based off his experience, role on the team, and what he brings in the locker room. Fowler has been around for quite some time, and he’s been an alternate captain for a long time. He might be the most ready to become a captain when it comes to age and overall NHL experience.
Episode 121: Full Frontal – Late Arrivals: An Anaheim Ducks Podcast
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Anyone one of those 3 are great examples of the leadership the Ducks need in a Captain. Getz definitely raised the bar. I think all 3 players listed should wear the C on their jerseys.
Leo is clearly the best talent in the team… I say we cut the cord and give him the C. Other teams have done it 🤷🏾