Most of the summer was spent speculating about who would be the next captain of the Calgary Flames, and there were a ton of names thrown out there.
It came as no surprise that the Flames opted to name longtime tenured center Mikael Backlund as the teams next wearer of the “C”, with a new two-year contract following suit as well.
The only question that remained was who would join Backlund as the team’s leadership group this season. The team announced the crew of players on Saturday afternoon.
Here is the full group:
The 2023-24 Leadership Group
Four players will be wearing the “A”s as the team’s alternate captains: Jonathan Huberdeau, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, and Rasmus Andersson
There are absolutely no surprises here as all four players were on the list to be named captain should Backlund had not re-signed. Huberdeau, Lindholm, and Tanev had all served as alternates last year alongside Backlund, with Andersson being the only new member to get a letter.
Andersson was widely rumored to be the next captain of the Flames earlier in training camp, but that was most likely contingent on Backlund not being a part of the team moving forward. That being said, he was an absolute no brainer for the captaincy and a welcome addition to the group.
The other three are key leaders on the team already and so their retention of their “A”s make a wealth of sense. The only thing that has left some fans upset is the exclusion of MacKenzie Weegar. After being at the top of many lists for captain, his lack of “A” is disappointing but surely will be a role he fills down the road.
After a few seasons of leading by committee, the leadership group looks primed and ready to lead the team into a successful season.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
