Arizona Coyotes: 3 Candidates To Be Named Next Captain

At this said time, there are six teams who do not have a captain. Thus, in this short segment, we will be discussing three players from each team who could end up being given this honor. It is important to note that there is a chance that some of these teams may hold off from naming one. Yet, it is still entertaining to go over their options at this juncture.

The Arizona Coyotes will be the team focused on in this one. The Coyotes traded captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson this off-season to the Vancouver Canucks, so the role of captain is available. Even after trading away a number of their top players, there are still some candidates who could take over. Phil Kessel will not be discussed on this list, though. Although he's a good player, there's a good chance he isn't in the long-term plans of Arizona and could be traded before the start of the season.

Jakob Chychrun D: The Arizona Coyotes reportedly set an asking price for Jakob Chychrun, but that now has been denied by the organization. This makes sense, as he is the player they should be building around. He took a major step forward this season, as he scored 18 goals and had 41 points in just 56 games. That crushed all of his previous career-highs. He is their best player heading into this upcoming season, so if they were to name a new captain, he should be first in line.

Clayton Keller LW/C: Clayton Keller is another young player on the Coyotes, but he could also be a potential fit for the role. He is one of their top forwards and still has seven more years left on his big contract. Therefore, he would be able to be their captain for the long-term future, which could be enough for Arizona to consider him.

Nick Schmaltz C: Nick Schmaltz is the oldest of these three, but is still just 25 years old. He has over 300 games of NHL experience though, so that helps his case. Furthermore, like Keller, he is one of their top players. It also is common for teams to choose centers as their leaders, so Schmaltz very well could end up being a candidate if Arizona wants to a new leader so soon.