Canucks predicted to make surprise captain choice for 2026-27 NHL season

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When the Vancouver Canucks traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild midway through last season, it meant they no longer had a captain.

While an NHL team could rush to fill that role, the Canucks opted to be patient.

At this point in the offseason, they still haven't assigned the 'C' to anyone.

And in reality, they might not at all. Daily Faceoff's Hunter Crowther thinks the Canucks should go into the 2026-27 season without a captain.

That's not an unheard of move. The Boston Bruins just spent last season without a captain, and they had a lot more obvious candidates than Vancouver currently does.

"The Canucks are in what Pulp Fiction’s Jules Winnfield would call a 'transitional period,' having a new general manager, head coach, a top prospect and several veteran free agent signings after one of their worst regular-season performances in franchise history," Crowther writes.

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Ironically, some of the Canucks' best captain candidates might also be trade candidates. At this point, they don't need that to be the outcome again.

"With no clear franchise player in their lineup, and speculation over the future of highly paid forwards Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, perhaps the best course of action would be to leave the captaincy vacant in 2026-27," Crowther writes. "Veterans like Luke Schenn and Brendan Gallagher can help reset the locker room and allow young players like Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and 2026 No. 3 overall pick Caleb Malhotra to find their voices as they mature as professionals."

It's also a fair point that the Canucks wouldn't want to get the 'C' stuck on the wrong player.

Schenn and Gallagher can be like captains, just without that notation, and when Rossi or Buium or Malhotra takes the reins, they'll be ready.

That just might mean no 'C' in Vancouver this season.