Unofficial Captain of the Calgary Flames is Revealed by Top Player

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Tom Banks
August 25, 2023 (7:04 PM)

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The Calgary Flames have a strong lineage of captains, with names like Lanny McDonald, Joe Nieuwendyk, Craig Conroy, Jarome Iginla and Mark Giordano all leading the team, so who will take up the reigns next?

Plenty of options

The Flames are yet to name the successor to Mark Giordano, but with Rasmus Andersson, Mackenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau and Mikael Backlund all strong contenders, there's plenty of options.

According to Ryan Huska and Craig Conroy, a new captain will be named before the 2023-24 season begins, and if stories from last season are anything to go by, there's one clear favourite.

A long-time Flame

In his interview with Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, Rasmus Andersson revealed that Backlund was already the teams unofficial captain a year ago, despite Darryl Sutter's inability to give him the 'C'.

Andersson specifically called out how everyone in the room understands that Backlund is the captain of the Flames. He mentioned how Backlund operated as the captain in 2022-23, specifically in the room. He even mentioned that Backlund told him he knows he's the captain to the players, but without the actual C on his jersey he can't do everything he wants to.

His contract comes up after the 2023-24 season, so it's uncertain yet whether or not he'll ever get the opportunity to wear the official 'C', but given how much he did in the locker room, it's a shame (but not a surprise) that Sutter never gave him the role a season ago.

As Read on MarkerZone - Andersson Reveals the Unofficial Captain of the Calgary Flames