How Marco Sturm Intends To Decide On Next Bruins Captain

When the Bruins traded captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, Boston went without a captain for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

With Marco Sturm officially introduced as the new head coach of the Bruins, he will be tasked with figuring out which player will be a leader in the locker room. The new head coach isn’t set on having a player don the “C” on their jersey, though.

“I think if you’re a Boston Bruin, I think it’s a big deal,” Sturm told 98.5 Sports Hub’s “Felger & Mazz” on Tuesday. “If you’re not 100 percent sure, you don’t (need a captain). So we’ll see.”

If Sturm does name a captain, Bruins fans likely won’t hear about it for at least a few months. The former Bruins winger wants to get to know the players not just for their playing styles but also who they are in the locker room.

Sturm could look at players like David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy, who have been leaders before, but he wants to get to know them before making a decision.

“The one thing I told them, yes, I know the Pastrnak. I know the Lindholm and the McAvoy, yes, I’ve seen him play but I don’t know him as a person,” Sturm said. “I actually would like to get to know him first. I want to see it. I want to feel it when I work with him everyday then maybe, I don’t know yet. That’s something we have to address.”

The Bruins have had strong captains in the past, including Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton so Sturm will be face with a tough task of deciding who will fill the skates.