Who Should Wear The 'C' For The Arizona Coyotes In 2022?

The Arizona Coyotes seem to be stuck in an endless rebuild over the past few seasons, and with a new stadium (of their own) not seemingly anywhere in sight, this team may struggle to attract key free agents for years to come. Unfortunately for Arizona, their young prospects aren't quite ready yet either, so to name a captain, they'll need to find someone young enough to be around when those young guys arrive, but also mature enough to lead this current team too. With that in mind, there are really only two logical answers: Jakob Chychrun and Clayton Keller.

Keller makes the most sense, as he was drafted back in 2016 by Arizona, and is currently under a contract that runs through until 2027, confirming that he will spend at least the first 10-years of his NHL career with the Coyotes franchise. Over that span, Keller has put up 96 goals and 160 assists for 256 points, and at just 24-years of age, he's become a leader within this organization, all while having the best years in his career still ahead of him.

Jakob Chychrun is the other obvious candidate for captain, putting up good numbers over the past 7 seasons, with 53 goals and 89 assists for 142 points, all while morphing into the leader of this defensive unit. The Coyotes may hold off from name Chychrun captain of this team due to the trade interested he's garnered over the past year, and while they may not want to trade him, the packages offered in return may end up being too much to resist.

At the end of the day, the Coyotes young core are just too far away from arriving to wait for a younger name to be given the 'C', and with all possibilities on the table, Clayton Keller is the one that makes most sense, and will likely be the one named as the next captain of the Arizona Coyotes. 

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports