5 Canucks captain candidates if Horvat gets traded

It’s been over 30 years since the Vancouver Canucks last traded a current captain, but that appears to be Bo Horvat’s destiny this season.

Former captains Roberto Luongo and Trevor Linden were traded by the Canucks, but not until after a new player wore the C.

You have to go all the way back to 1991 to find an instance of the Canucks trading their captain when Dan Quinn was dealt in-season. But Quinn was only a part-time Canucks captain, as he shared the C with Doug Lidster and a 20-year-old Trevor Linden in 1990-91.

If Horvat’s time with the Canucks is indeed coming to an end, he’ll leave behind a void in a number of areas — including the job of captain, which he has held since 2019.

You can make a case for one of five candidates to wear the C after Horvat if they choose anyone at all. The Canucks, after all, didn’t have a captain for one season in 2018-19 after Henrik Sedin retired.

Here’s a look at those five candidates.

1. J.T. Miller

There are two Canucks players that have emerged as leaders, for better or worse. Bo Horvat is one, and J.T. Miller is the other.

In many ways, Miller exudes leadership. He speaks like a leader with the media, and he’s an emotional leader on the ice. He plays in all situations and is the runaway leader in scoring among Canucks players since he joined the team in 2019.

But Miller’s critics will be quick to point out the things he does on the ice that don’t set a good example for his teammates. The 29-year-old is prone to bad giveaways and was a disaster defensively as a centre and on the penalty kill.

Is he a player fit to wear the C?

2. Luke Schenn

Luke Schenn doesn’t wear a letter on his jersey, but he sure plays the role of an old-school NHL captain.

The elder statesman on this Canucks team, the 33-year-old is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and plays an honest game. Schenn is the all-time leader in hits and is willing to drop the gloves to defend his teammates.

The problem? He’s a pending unrestricted free agent, and like Horvat, could be traded before the season is over.

3. Elias Pettersson

Is Elias Pettersson the heir apparent to the captaincy throne?

He’s the Canucks’ best player and leads in many ways on the ice. The 24-year-old plays a strong two-way game and now plays in all situations. And his desire to win is obvious.

Pettersson isn’t exactly a vocal leader, but many captains aren’t.

He’s not as comfortable speaking to the media as Horvat, or Henrik Sedin before him, so that would be a hurdle.

But long term, if he truly wants to be captain, Pettersson might be the right choice.

Perhaps he could follow Horvat’s path to captaincy, by wearing an A for a season while the team goes captainless.

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4. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been an NHL captain before with the Arizona Coyotes. So he knows how to do the job.

But that’s about where his qualifications end.

After a good first season in Vancouver, Ekman-Larsson has struggled in 2022-23. He has the experience but he’s also not getting any younger.

5. Quinn Hughes

It’s been 40 years since the Canucks had a defenceman (Kevin McCarthy) as their full-time captain.

There is perhaps no player more important to the Canucks than Quinn Hughes, who somehow still seems underrated in Vancouver. He’s unquestionably their best defenceman, and arguably their best player.

But is he captain material?

Nobody plays more than Hughes, who is averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game.

Hughes is currently better than a point-per-game player, with 25 points in 24 games, as well. And he plays in all situations.

Like Pettersson, Hughes doesn’t have a reputation of being a vocal leader.

But if he has the desire to be the man, this could be the right time for the 23-year-old.