What Charlie McAvoy said about Bruins’ vacant captaincy role

By Conor Ryan Send this article to your social connections.

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The Boston Bruins, as currently constituted, are without a captain entering the 2025-26 season.

The last player to don the C on a black-and-gold sweater was Brad Marchand who was traded to Florida in March, won a Cup with the Panthers, and then re-upped with Bostons rival on a six-year contract extension weeks later.

As the Bruins attempt to pen a new chapter and retool around a new core grouping moving forward, most eyes look to Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak as the next wave of team leadership.

Beyond Pastrnak and McAvoys standing as two of the top players in the NHL, both skaters have also established themselves as alternate captains with Boston over the last few seasons.

But as the Bruins mull their options when it comes to establishing a new leadership hierarchy moving forward, McAvoy stressed in an interview with the Boston Heralds Steve Conroy that there isnt any rush to name a captain for next season.

Rather, the Bruins defenseman believes that the franchise will be in good hands with both him and Pastrnak working together to help lead Boston back to the playoffs.

Going into this year, were both going to have As.

Thats what I know, McAvoy told Conroy.

I dont think theres any fire under them to do anything with that [captaincy role].

And guess what? Thats totally fine.

And regardless of letters, we know that this is our team, me and him.

And for however many years we get to be here, its going to be us two, along with a lot of other guys, right, McAvoy added.

But this is our baby now, me and him, and theres nobody else that Id rather do it with and I know were going to make each other better, on and off the ice.

While McAvoy spent the final months of the 2024-25 season on the mend due to a shoulder injury and infection, Pastrnak served as Bostons top leader over a painful final stretch of the year.

But even with Pastrnak taking a more vocal role in Bostons dressing room while still stuffing the stat sheet (43 goals, 106 points over 82 games), the Bruins star winger also stressed this spring that he isnt focusing on titles such as the captaincy moving forward.

The leaders I had around me, it was never about who wears the C or who wears the A.

Everybody in the room is equal here and we need to make sure that thats one of the things that we have to [find] a group that is willing to put the work in, Pastrnak said during the teams break-up day in April.

Its not about one guy.

Its going to be multiple of us and we need to be working together, and it doesnt matter whos going to end up wearing any letter, but it starts with a group.

Everybodys equal here no matter if youre young, older, and thats what its always been like, and we have to keep it going.

Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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