The captain of the Detroit Red Wings is one of the most prestigious honors in sports, and the team may be in search of a player to wear the "C" following an announcement by Henrik Zetterberg on Friday morning.
Zetterberg, 37, said he is done playing professional hockey after nearly two decades with the team. He has been the captain since 2013, taking over for Nicklas Lidstrom.
Speaking to reporters during training camp in Traverse City on Friday morning, Red Wings General Manager said he's spoken to Head Coach Jeff Blashill, and theyr'e waiting until the end of training camp to make a decision.
"I'm not sure if we'll have a captain (or) if we'll just go with all assistants," Holland said. "We'll make that decision over the next three weeks."
Currently, the team has two alternate captains, Niklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader. It's unlikely that Kronwall will get the "C" as he has said this year may be his last year.
Abdelkader, a Michigan-native and Michigan State grad, was given the "A" in 2016-17 and is under contract with the team until the 2022-23 season.
The likely option will be Dylan Larkin, who would become the youngest Red Wings captain since Steve Yzerman when he was 21 years old. Larkin is 22 and just signed a new 5-year contract with the team over the summer.
The Red Wings signed their future captain to a five-year deal. Dylan Larkin will wear the 'C' for his hometown team after Henrik Zetterberg retires. I think that's clear.
Ken Holland compared him to Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, & Zetterberg moments after finalizing the deal. pic.twitter.com/rhyQYMbfzw
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 10, 2018
Another option for captain, but more-likely an alternate captain, is Frans Nielsen. He signed a six-year contract in 2016 and was an alternate captain for the New York Islanders before he signed with the Red Wings.
The Detroit Red Wings have only had three captains in the last 32 years: Steve Yzerman from 1986-2006, Nicklas Lidstrom from 2006-2012 and Zetterberg from 2013-2018.
