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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues are down to their final roster cuts, and five were assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

The club announced it has assigned 2023 first-round picks, forwards Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg and defenseman Theo Lindstein, along with forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and defenseman Leo Loof to the Thunderbirds, reducing the training camp number down to 26.

All five played in the preseason finale on Saturday, a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, but it was clearly evident as things progressed to Monday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline for opening night rosters to be submitted that these players had made strides but would not make the initial cut to be on the roster for opening night on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

"I think they had really good camps; we just have a lot of good depth in the organization," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We have 14 really good forwards here that are signed and we have seven really good defensemen. And those other guys, they've got to go down there and be really good. Our organization's in a real good place with all positions."

That leaves three more cuts for the Blues to make by Monday, and among those is expected to be goalie Colten Ellis, who has to clear waivers to go to Springfield, as does defenseman Hunter Skinner, who had himself a terrific training camp. Neither were on the ice Sunday morning and likely on waivers by Sunday afternoon.

"If I had to pick a couple (tough ones that got sent down) off the top of my head, I would say Skinner, Stenberg and Kaskimaki," Montgomery said. "All did a lot to show that they can play in the league, but again, they've also got to show that they can really be good American League players."

Observations From Blues' 4-0 Preseason Win Vs. BlackhawksThe St. Louis Blues closed out the preseason in impressive fashion with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center in Chicago on Saturday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 8 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #8. 

Let's take a look.

Geoff Sanderson - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Hartford in 1990. 

Sanderson played 268 games as a Jacket and had 168 points. In the franchise's first season, he dazzled the NWA crowds when he scored 30 goals and had 56 points. Sanderson was a very good player for the Blue Jackets and brought some excitement to a fledgling franchise desperate to win some games. He's the only player in CBJ history to score 4 goals in a single game and was the first player in franchise history to have 5 points in a game. 

He retired in 2008 after playing 1100 games and totaling 700 points. Last season, he was a pro scout for the New Jersey Devils. 

His son Jake is now a star defenseman for the Ottawa Senators.  

Jan Hejda - 2008-2010 - Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003. 

Hejda signed with Columbus in 2007 after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers. In all, he played with Columbus for four seasons and totaled 302 games. He scored 11 goals and 67 points playing on the Columbus blue line. 

He left for the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 when free agency opened. He would play there until 2015. He signed a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters in December of 2015 and was released in January of 2016 and would retire.

Scottie Upshall - 2011 - Drafted by Nashville in 2002.

Upshall played 21 games as a Jacket and had seven points after being traded on February 28, 2011, from the Phoenix Coyotes.  After his time in Columbus, he played for the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues.

He left for Europe in 2019 to play a single season in Switzerland. 

Maksim Mayorov - 2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2007.

Mayorov played 22 in Columbus and totaled 11 points. He never played another game for the Jackets.

He left for Russia 2012 and played there until he retired in 2021. He is now an amateur scout for the Washington Capitals. 

Nathan Horton - 2014 - Drafted by Florida in 2003. 

Horton only played 36 games for Columbus after signing with the Jackets in 2013. After netting 19 points, he was forced to medically retire due to a back issue. 

During the first period of a March 10, 2014, game against the Dallas Stars, Horton scored a goal to put the Blue Jackets ahead, 1–0. Shortly thereafter, Dallas Stars center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench. Play was suspended, and on April 9, 2014, the game restarted from the beginning, with the Blue Jackets leading, 1–0. Horton was unavailable for the restarted game due to an injury. However, his goal from the original game was still recorded in official statistics, making him the only NHL player known to score in a game in which he did not play.

Zach Werenski - 2017-2025 - Drafted by Columbus in 2015. 

Zach Werenski has cemented himself as the best defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Werenski came into the league like a lion and really hasn't stopped since. Unfortunately, injuries set him back during his career, but last year, he stayed healthy and became a top-scoring, elite defenseman. 

Last season, he set single season records for a Blue Jackets defenseman in goals (23), assists (59), and points (82). He also passed CBJ legend Rick Nash in career assists, a mark that will probably take two decades to catch, if it's ever caught. His assist mark stands at 271, and there isn't an active Blue Jacket that even has 100 career assists. By the time his career is over, he could very well have 500 assists.

Per the NHL, Werenski is looking to become just the seventh U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history with three career 20-goal seasons.   

He'd join Phil Housley (7x), Reed Larson (6x), Brian Leetch (5x), Gary Suter (3x), Al Iafrate (3x), and Mark Howe (3x) as the only ones to do so to date.    

Last season, he also had a historic home points streak. The streak tied Phil Housley for the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. It was also the fourth-longest home point streak by an active player in the league, with only Nathan MacKinnon (35 GP in 2023-24), Connor McDavid (26 GP in 2023-24), and Nikita Kucherov (24 GP in 2022-23) having a longer streak.

Zach Werenski will look to continue his spectacular play when the season starts next week in Nashville. How many points do you think Werenski will have this season? 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.  

More from THN Columbus

The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue JacketsFrom Ex-players to current players and everything in between, we've got you covered.  Blue Jackets Lose Daemon Hunt To WaiversChris Johnson of TSN has reported that the Minnesota Wild have claimed Daemon Hunt off the waiver wire from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets were hoping he'd clear so he could return to Cleveland, but sadly, that didn't happen.  NHL Analyst Believes Greaves Is A Breakout Candidate This SeasonRecently on an episode of Real Kyper and Bourne on Sportsnet, they had NHL analyst Steve Valiquette on the show, who specializes in goalies.

Let's get one thing straight: Connor Ingram is a good story. The journeyman goaltender who battled through OCD and anxiety to find his footing in the NHL deserves respect. But if you're an Oilers fan hoping he's the answer to Edmonton's perpetual goaltending question, we need to have a hard reality check.

The Oilers have been searching for reliable goaltending since the days when Dwayne Roloson was stealing playoff games. Every season brings new hope, new names, new "this could be the guy" energy. Ingram's name has floated around in trade speculation, and some fans see his .904 save percentage from last season as a potential upgrade.

Here's the problem: it's not.

Let's start with the facts. In 2023-24, Ingram posted a .904 save percentage across 47 games with the Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes). That's not terrible, but it's also not moving the needle for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. For context, Stuart Skinner—who Oilers fans love to criticize—posted a .905 save percentage last season while facing significantly tougher competition.

Ingram's goals-against average of 3.05 tells a similar story. Yes, he was playing behind a weaker defensive structure in Arizona/Utah, but the Oilers need someone who can elevate the team, not just maintain the status quo. When you're trying to win a Cup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime, "pretty good" doesn't cut it.

Here's what really concerns me about Ingram as a potential solution: consistency. Last season was his first as a legitimate NHL starter, and while he showed flashes, he also showed why he'd spent years bouncing between the AHL and NHL. He had stretches where he looked confident and capable, followed by games where he looked completely overwhelmed.

Oilers' Coach And GM Detail Game Plan For Connor IngramThe Edmonton Oilers traded for Connor Ingram on Wednesday, but head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed this trade was not done to push either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard out. The Oilers have their goaltenders, and Ingram's arrival alone won't change that. 

The Oilers don't need a project. They need a goaltender who can deliver night after night, especially in the playoffs when the margin for error evaporates. Ingram has exactly zero playoff games in his NHL career. Zero. This is a team that made it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final last season and Game 7 the year prior. You want to roll the dice on a guy who's never experienced that pressure?

Let's talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: Ingram's injury history. He's dealt with various ailments throughout his career, and durability has been a question mark. Last season was actually his healthiest and most productive, which is great, but it's also a single data point. The Oilers need ironman reliability in net, especially if they're going to make a deep playoff run.

The harsh truth is that the Oilers need elite goaltending, or they need to be comfortable with what they have. Ingram represents neither option. He's a lateral move at best, potentially a downgrade depending on which version of Stuart Skinner shows up—or frankly, which version of Connor Ingram shows up.

If the Oilers are going to make a move in net, it needs to be for someone proven. Someone with playoff experience. Someone with a track record of stealing games when their team needs it most. Ingram might develop into that player someday, but "someday" isn't in the Oilers' championship window timeline.

Bullish Oilers' D-Man Goes From "No Expectations" To Likely 2025-26 BluelinerEdmonton Oilers prospect defenseman Alec Regula has spent the past year fighting what had to feel like an uphill battle. He wasn't throwing his big frame around on the ice, but working to get his own body to cooperate so he could make an NHL return.

The other option? Commit to Skinner and actually build a defensive system that supports him. Skinner has shown he can be good when he remains calm in net—or just in net—and when the Oilers play structured hockey around him.

The solution might not be swapping out goalies like they're interchangeable parts—it might be finally addressing the defensive zone chaos that's plagued this team for years.

The Bottom Line

Connor Ingram is a fine NHL goaltender who earned his spot in this league. But fine doesn't win Stanley Cups, especially not when you're icing the two best players in the world. The Oilers need to either go big on a proven commodity or commit to developing what they have with better defensive structure.

Ingram isn't the savior. He's just another name in a long line of "maybe this guy" conversations that Oilers fans have been having for two decades. And until management recognizes that band-aid solutions won't fix a systemic problem, we'll keep having the same conversation next season too.

After The Score ran a random simulation on NHL 26, the Senators came out as the champions in a random simulation. While it obviously means absolutely nothing, it does suggest that, based on all the data the company pours into its game, the Sens compare very favourably to the best teams in hockey

What's troubling is the faces of the Senators' players. 

But I, for one, welcome our Ottawa Senator zombie overlords...

NHL 26 season sim: Senators win Cup, Oilers lose 3rd straight finalThe 2025-26 NHL season is just around the corner, but before we get to the real thing, we thought it would be fun to simulate the campaign in NHL 26 and share the results. Remember, this is just a video game. Some of the outcomes were incredibly wacky.Atlantic Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Panthers: The two-time reigning Cup champions win the Atlantic Division for the third time in five years, allowing a league-low 222 goals.Senators: Ottawa loses out on a division title courtesy of a tiebreaker, but it gets better in the playoffs.Red Wings: Detroit scores a conference-high 282 goals to snap its nine-year playoff drought. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, and Marco Kasper all score at least 25 goals.Lightning: Nikita Kucherov leads the way offensively for the Bolts with 50 goals and 98 points.Canadiens: Montreal takes a step back, but Cole Caufield breaks out with 97 points and Ivan Demidov makes it back-to-back Calder Trophy winners for the Habs.Maple Leafs: Turmoil in Toronto? The Leafs miss the playoffs for the first time with Auston Matthews, despite a 58-goal season from the captain. Matthew Knies suffers through an injury-plagued 38-point campaign.Sabres: Tage Thompson (80 points) and Rasmus Dahlin (65 points) enjoy strong years, but Buffalo extends its playoff drought to 15 seasons.Bruins: Things go from bad to worse in Boston. Although David Pastrnak's 57 goals are a bright spot, Jeremy Swayman struggles again with an .895 save percentage.Metropolitan Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Islanders: Perhaps the best story in the league, New York finishes atop the Eastern Conference. Ilya Sorokin shines with 35 wins and a .918 save percentage.Penguins: Put the Sidney Crosby trade talk on hold, folks. Evgeni Malkin (73 points) and Erik Karlsson (69 points) turn back the clock to help the Penguins return to the postseason after a three-year hiatus.Capitals: Alex Ovechkin defies Father Time with a career-high 66 goals at age 40, putting him just 37 away from 1,000 for his career.Devils: Healthy seasons from Jack Hughes (80 points in 80 games) and Dougie Hamilton (64 points in 80 games) lead to a strong year for the Devils.Flyers: Philadelphia takes a step in the right direction on the back of Matvei Michkov's 78-point campaign.Rangers: J.T. Miller leads by example with a team-high 70 points as New York's captain, but it's not enough to overcome the club's lack of depth.Blue Jackets: Another strong season from Zach Werenski (team-high 77 points) isn't enough to will Columbus to the playoffs.Hurricanes: Arguably the biggest shock of the entire sim, Carolina finishes last in the East with the league's 26th-ranked offense.Central Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Jets: Winnipeg soars to its second straight Presidents' Trophy by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Islanders. Kyle Connor leads the way with 53 goals and 99 points.Avalanche: Martin Necas racks up 70 assists (second in NHL) and 92 points to help Colorado forget about Mikko Rantanen.Mammoth: Eight players notch at least 50 points as Utah gets a taste of playoff hockey in an extremely tight division.Stars: Dallas misses the playoffs by a point, surely ending Jim Nill's three-year reign as General Manager of the Year.Blues: A disappointing 63-point season from Robert Thomas keeps the Blues out of the playoffs.Wild: Mats Zuccarello's career-high 79 points at age 38 aren't enough to help Minnesota overcome its 30th-ranked defense.Predators: Steven Stamkos (74 points) and defenseman Nick Perbix (41 points) serve as bright spots on a middling Preds squad.Blackhawks: Chicago finishes as the NHL's worst team despite a 36-goal campaign from Connor Bedard.Pacific Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Kings: Anze Kopitar paces L.A. with 73 points en route to a division title in his final NHL season. Darcy Kuemper leads all goalies with 39 wins.Golden Knights: Jack Eichel scores a career-high 43 goals playing alongside Mitch Marner (61 assists), forming a new dynamic duo in Vegas.Ducks: Mason McTavish ends his contract stalemate and tallies 69 points to lead Anaheim to its first postseason appearance since 2018.Canucks: Filip Chytil solves Vancouver's second-line center woes with a 69-point season to bring the Canucks back to the playoffs.Oilers: Edmonton allows a league-worst 286 goals but squeaks into the postseason with solid yet unspectacular campaigns from Connor McDavid (95 points) and Leon Draisaitl (93 points).Flames: Calgary stays in the playoff hunt most of the season thanks to Nazem Kadri's career-high 47 goals.Kraken: New coach, new GM, similar result in Seattle. A team-high 63 points from Shane Wright is promising, though.Sharks: A breakout 81-point campaign from William Eklund is a bright spot from another long year in San Jose.Playoffs EA Sports NHL 26Round 1 Oilers, Mammoth, and Lightning all pull off major upsets. Golden Knights, Kings, and Senators win their series handily in five games. Round 2 Oilers roll through Mammoth in five games. Kings, Penguins, Senators win in seven. Conference finals Crosby and the Penguins run out of gas against a much younger Senators team, losing in five games. Oilers beat the Kings in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Stanley Cup Final 🏆An Ottawa-Edmonton final guarantees a Canadian team wins the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. The Oilers erase a 3-1 series deficit to force Game 7, but they have their hearts broken in the Cup Final for the third straight year after David Perron scores the double-overtime winner to give the Senators their first Stanley Cup. EA Sports NHL 26Dylan Cozens is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy with a team-high 18 points in 24 postseason games. However, Linus Ullmark was snubbed after stopping 48 of 51 shots in Game 7 and posting a .931 save percentage in the playoffs. EA Sports NHL 26Major AwardsHart Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 28 75 103 19:48 Norris Trophy - Evan Bouchard EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 77 18 58 76 25:07 Art Ross Trophy - Nathan MacKinnon EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 54 57 111 19:55 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy - Alex Ovechkin EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 66 32 98 18:32 Calder Trophy - Ivan Demidov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 11 41 52 15:29 Vezina Trophy - Jake Oettinger EA Sports NHL 26 GP W GAA SV% SO 66 33 2.74 .917 2 Selke Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 FO% +/- Takeaways Giveaways 53.8 40 159 43

Flyers trade Ryan Ellis contract to Sharks, bring back two players originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers moved Ryan Ellis’ contract to the Sharks, along with a 2026 conditional sixth-round draft pick, in exchange for Carl Grundstrom and Artem Guryev.

Ellis was entering the seventh season of an eight-year, $50 million deal that he originally signed with the Predators. The contract had a $6.250 million annual cap hit.

The 34-year-old defenseman had not played for the Flyers since 2021-22 because of a multilayered injury in his pelvic region.

After being acquired by the Flyers in a July 2021 trade, Ellis played just four games for the club.

Come next offseason, the Flyers could be in a much more advantageous position to spend. The salary cap is going up and Ellis’ contract is no longer on the books. This season is also the last in which the Flyers have cap hits from the Cam Atkinson buyout, the Kevin Hayes trade and the Scott Laughton trade.

Grundstrom, a 27-year-old winger, comes to the Flyers as a pending unrestricted free agent. He’s in the final year of two-year, $3.6 million deal ($1.8 million cap hit). He was placed on waivers Sunday, according to PuckPedia.com. If he clears, he can eventually head to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Guryev is a 22-year-old defenseman who was selected by San Jose in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He played in the ECHL last season and will report to the Phantoms.

The Flyers’ roster is at the maximum of 23 healthy players. It needs to be submitted by Monday at 5 p.m. ET.

There aren’t many higher honors on a professional sports team than being the captain of a team. This article will be all about them, a rundown of current and past captains, where they come from, and interesting facts along the way.

All Active Captains

Of the 32 teams in the NHL, 30 teams have a player who wears a ‘C’. Only the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks are without a captain at the moment. Last season, every team in the league had a captain going into the campaign. 

The Bruins had Brad Marchand rock the ‘C’ for the team, but he was traded to the Florida Panthers at the 2025 trade deadline. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and right winger David Pastrnak are likely next in line for that role.

As for the Sharks, Logan Couture was their guy, but he stepped away from the game due to Osteitis Pubis. There is the possibility that the Sharks will wait for Couture’s contract to expire before they name someone else captain.

Anaheim Ducks: Radko Gudas

Boston Bruins: Vacant 

Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin

Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Nick Foligno

Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog

Columbus Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin

Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar

Minnesota Wild: Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Roman Josi

New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier

New York Islanders: Anders Lee

New York Rangers: J.T. Miller

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia Flyers: Sean Couturier

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby

San Jose Sharks: Vacant

Seattle Kraken: Jordan Eberle

St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews

Utah Mammoth: Clayton Keller

Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes

Vegas Golden Knights: Mark Stone

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin

Winnipeg Jets: Adam Lowry

Longest Tenured Captains Of All-Time

Steve Yzerman holds the record for the longest-tenured captain in NHL history, as he donned the ‘C’ for the Red Wings for 19 seasons, from the 1986-87 season until 2005-06 when he retired.

Sidney Crosby will be equalling that record going into his 19th season as the captain of the Penguins. His first season as Pittsburgh’s captain was in 2007-08, his third season in the NHL.

The third-longest tenure in NHL captains' history is from Joe Sakic. He captained the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche from 1990-91 until 2008-09.

Alexander Ovechkin deserves some love as he’ll join the top three once the 2025-26 regular season kicks off. This will be his 17th season as captain of the Capitals.

Longest Tenured Captains Currently

Aside from Crosby and Ovechkin, who are shaking hands with history in terms of being some of the longest-tenured captains in NHL history, here’s that list among active players.

Behind Crosby and Ovechkin is Avalanche left winger Gabriel Landerskog. Landeskog was named Colorado’s captain ahead of the 2012-13 campaign when he was 19 years old. After a remarkable comeback to the NHL, the Avs captain is suiting up to be the team’s captain for a 14th season.

Next in line is Jamie Benn of the Stars. He was named captain one season after Landeskog got the ‘C’. Benn was a 24-year-old heading into his fifth NHL campaign. Benn is yet to win a Stanley Cup, but has come close with a Cup final appearance and three consecutive Western Conference finals. This will be Benn’s 13th year donning the ‘C’.

The 2025-26 season will be Anze Kopitar’s last; thus, it will be his final year as the Kings captain. Kopitar became Los Angeles’ captain later in his career compared to others. This is because Dustin Brown held the captaincy before him for eight seasons. This will be Kopitar’s 20th NHL season and 10th year as Kings captain. 

Shortest Tenured Captains

J.T. Miller of the Rangers is currently the shortest-tenured captain, as he was just given the captaincy on Sept. 16 and hasn’t started the regular season yet. Miller has never been captain before, but ahead of his departure from the Canucks, he was an alternate for his last four seasons.

As Rangers Name Ex-Canuck J.T. Miller Captain, A Lot Can Change In A YearAt this time last year, veteran J.T. Miller was a Vancouver Canucks center about to build on an excellent 2023-24 campaign.

Aside from Miller, seven players are tied, entering their second season as captains. Those players are Auston Matthews, Nick Foligno, Victor Hedman, Radko Gudas, Rasmus Dahlin, Clayton Keller and Jordan Eberle.

Keller and Eberle would be the newest captains by technicality because Keller was named captain of Utah on Oct. 4, 2024, and Eberle was gifted the ‘C’ with Seattle a couple of days later. Everyone else officially became the captain earlier than October’s arrival.

Fun fact: Wayne Gretzky has one of the shortest tenures as a captain in NHL history. In the 1995-96 season, he played 18 games as a member of the Blues after being traded by the Kings. After those 18 games, he signed with the Rangers the next season and never wore the ‘C’ again.

Youngest Captains

The answer to who the youngest-named captain of all time and among active players is the same. On Oct. 5, 2016, the Oilers named 19-year-old Connor McDavid captain of the team. He dethroned Landeskog of that title, as McDavid was 20 days younger than Landeskog when he was given the captaincy.

Gabriel Landeskog OK losing his place in history | NHL.comAvalanche forward no longer youngest captain after Oilers name Connor McDavid

The current youngest captain in the NHL is Rasmus Dahlin of the Sabres. Buffalo’s defenseman is 25 years old, like Quinn Hughes is, but Hughes was born in 1999 versus Dahlin’s 2000 birth year. Dahlin was named captain ahead of last season.

Oldest Captains

The oldest captain in the NHL as the 2025-26 season approaches is Ovechkin. He just turned 40 years old on Sep. 17, and this will be his 21st season in the NHL.

The oldest player to ever wear the ‘C’ on his chest was defenseman Zdeno Chara. The final year of his captaincy was in 2019-20, when he was 43 years old. He still went on to play two more seasons, split between the Capitals and Islanders.

Who Should Be The Boston Bruins' Next Captain?The Boston Bruins haven’t gone one full season without a captain since 2001-02. The 2025-26 season may change that after they traded Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL trade deadline.

Captains By Country

1. 12 Canadian captains (Jordan Staal, Boone Jenner, Jamie Benn, Connor McDavid, Jared Spurgeon, Nick Suzuki, Sean Couturier, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Eberle, Brayden Schenn, Mark Stone, Adam Lowry)

2. Eight American captains (Nick Foiligno, Dylan Larkin, Anders Lee, J.T. Miller, Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Clayton Keller, Quinn Hughes)

3. Four Swedish captains (Rasmus Dahlin, Mikael Backlund, Gabriel Landeskog, Victor Hedman)

4. Two Swiss captains (Nico Hischier, Roman Josi)

T 5. One Finnish captain (Aleksander Barkov), one Czech captain (Radko Gudas), one Russian captain (Alexander Ovechkin), one Slovenian captain (Anze Kopitar)

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