FORT LAUDERDALE, FL − The Detroit Red Wings are not naming a captain this season as they want to take their time to make the decision.
The Red Wings have been without a captain since stripping Dylan Larkin of the title in the offseason as a result of his demanding to be traded.
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“We are in a transition phase in our organization, obviously, with some of the stuff that’s going on,” coach Todd McLellan said after the Red Wings’ morning skate on Thursday, Nov. 12. “We want to see what our complete team will look like and we want to see how individuals react. We have a pretty good idea who could, you know, command the ship with real good people around them, but we want to see how they react throughout the season, and they’ve been through a lot of crap together already.”
Moritz Seider is the clear choice to be the next captain, having established himself as a leader since lacing up for the franchise starting in 2021-22. He already is an alternate captain.
“I think we just try to fill every hole we can fill and step up in certain situations,” Seider said. “I think everybody has their own kind of expectation on themselves and on the team, so I wouldn’t say anything changed. Honestly you just try to lead by example every single day, and whether it’s in the gym or out on the ice I think you just want to do the right things over and over again. You can’t be perfect all the time, but I think just aiming for perfection, I think that’s a good example.”
McLellan said that Seider “damn well is” a dominant leader.
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The Wings (7-9-3 entering Thursday) are trying to right themselves after an opening month of turmoil, including the Larkin situation and the contract stalemate involving restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
“The group is pulling themselves through. There’s been individuals that have stepped up and we don’t know what kind of waters are in front of us and we want to experience them before we give one individual the hands of the wheel,” McLellan said.
McLellan said it matters that teams have a leader.
“I think it’s more important with certain teams, starting with Original Six,” he said. “It’s a hundred-year-old tradition, it’s got deeper meaning, it stands out a little bit more, but I do think with the youth and its courage to show up and play now and attempt things, that leadership is spread out a little bit more. And, you know, you can find the easy leaders when things are going really well. You find the true leaders when it’s a little bit rocky.”
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The decision was made after Steve Yzerman was fired on July 15 and before Larkin quit the team on Oct. 29.
“Steve wasn’t part of this because at that point we didn’t know what was going on with Dylan, and Dylan had that ‘C’ on his jersey and now he doesn’t,” McLellan said. “The decision was made going into training camp once we knew − had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen, of how we were going to treat him.”
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Here’s why Detroit Red Wings aren’t naming a captain in 2026-27
