Edited Aug. 25, 2021 at 11:24 a.m.
I personally expect Getzlaf to retire at the end of the season and therefore the team needs a new captain. Maybe not immediately but 1-2 years after Getzy retires they should name a new captain. And if they name a new captain they should also name new alternate captains. I'll just go over a couple of options that seem realistic to me.
First of all, I want to say that I hope a young player is named captain because it makes the most sense to me. There are a couple of veterans who'd have a shot at captaincy (mainly Fowler) but I think it'd be better to name a member of the new core captain.
Trevor Zegras
He'll likely be the future 1C and the face of the franchise for a long time (except if the Ducks get Wright or Bedard) and he'll be one of the cornerstones of the new core. He's a favorite for the Calder in 2022 and it's possible he'll lead the team in points in his rookie season (although that will likely not be too hard). There lies quite a bit of pressure on him but if you watch him play and listen to / read interviews you'll realize he doesn't lack confidence (just look at his Michigan attempt) and I think he'll do well next season.
I think Zegras would be good choice for captain and I think it's pretty safe to say that he'll at least be an alternate captain.
Jamie Drysdale
He has the potential to be an elite offensive Defenseman and he will likely be the #1 D-man for the Ducks in the future. He has to improve his defensive game but if he can do that, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a great player. He just has a big amount of skill and is an excellent skater. I haven't really noticed any particular "captain traits" but we haven't seem him that much yet. I think he'll be in the conversation for captaincy anyways and he wouldn't be a bad choice imo.
Maxime Comtois
Comtois will be an important player in the future of the team as well although not as important as Zegras. But he always seemed like a natural leader to me and he was the captain of Team Canada at the 2019 World Juniors. Many criticized him for diving back then, but I haven't noticed any diving at all since he's been a full-time NHLer. (Correct me if I'm forgetting anything.) I have the feeling he has a good locker room presence already which will only get better over time and I also really like how he sticks up for his teammates. There is no doubt in my mind that if he can reduce penalties and get better defensively, he'll be one of the Ducks' best forwards for years to come. I think that a C or A would look really good on him and that he'd be a good choice for captaincy.
Troy Terry
A thing preventing him from being captain could be the fact that he isn't really that popular of a player leaguewide. He's very underrated and many fans around the league don't know how good he is, but if he can produce more, he should get more recognition. I think he'd be best as an alternate captain.
My choice for captains would be:
C - Zegras
A - Comtois
A - Drysdale
(I voted for Zegras in the poll.)
Feel free to comment who you'd name captain and why.
@OldNYIFan @Salzy @Lenny7