The Boston Bruins lost some key players this offseason, chief among them being their captain Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron closed the book on a legendary career with the Bruins, and while he will need to be replaced on the ice, his leadership presence needs to be replaced too. With the captain role up for grabs, many folks figured that either Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy would be bestowed the honor.

Both Marchand and McAvoy have solid cases to be named Boston's new captain, but it always felt like Marchand, who has spent all 14 seasons of his career with the B's, had the inside track over the star defenseman. And sure enough, Marchand found himself being named the Bruins next captain on Wednesday morning ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Via Chris Johnston:

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“Brad Marchand has been named Bruins captain.”

As previously noted, Marchand has spent his entire career with the Bruins, and he always seemed like a logical replacement for Bergeron at captain. Marchand is one of only two players left on the roster from their 2011 Stanley Cup victory after Milan Lucic signed with the B's this offseason, but unlike Lucic, he's stuck around with the B's as he's tried to net them a second championship during his time with them.

McAvoy will make a good captain one day, but Marchand has earned this honor from the Bruins, and it's great to see him get to embrace a new leadership role with Bergeron no longer part of the picture. Things could be rocky for Boston this upcoming season, but with Marchand leading the way in the locker room, it's clear that the Bruins will also make sure they are putting their best foot forward.