Who will be the Next Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks?

Alot of today's narrative is centering around Nick Foligno as the veteran has just signed a 2 year extension (4.5 million AAV) as well as recovering from an injury suffered defending (pictured below) a hard hit on franchise center Connor Bedard. Since becoming a Blackhawk, not only has Nick Foligno seemed to endear himself to the fanbase, but he has also been a leader on the ice and in the locker room for a team in need of leadership.

Since longtime captain Jonathan Toews left the team (has not retired) at the end of last season it was long assumed that the 2023-2024 season would see the franchise play the year without naming a captain. Not only in respect for the near 15 seasons (and 3 Stanley Cups he raised as captain) Toews led the franchise, but also in lieu of the fact that the team has almost an entirely new roster.

Foligno, wearing the "A" patch (along with Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, and Jason Dickinson) is no stranger to being a leader. For 6 seasons, Nick Foligno wore the coveted Captain's "C" on his jersey for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, at age 36 in what is likely his final stop of his career, the long time veteran (1120 games played, 542 points) is eyeing a much different objective:

Thank you to Ben Pope of the Suntimes for the quote. My take from all that was said today is that this is a player that will take an immense amount of pride in bringing a storied franchise (and orginial 6 member at that) back to the forefront of contention in this league. So would Nick Foligno make for an excellent captain for a young team, if only for a season or two? Absolutely he would, but should he?

A look at who could be the Blackhawks next captain: