"The key point (in this decision) is the strength of the group and allowing the core guys to be leaders in their own right," Hakstol said. "That group is going to be the voice of our dressing room. And that'll be the strength of our leadership."
These days, it's not uncommon for NHL teams to go with alternate captains and no player wearing the "C." Since the 2005-06 season, 39 teams have gone at least one entire campaign without a captain. The last five seasons, at least three teams have had only alternate captains named. This season, six NHL teams (Seattle, Anaheim, Arizona, Calgary, Philadelphia, Winnipeg) plan to go without a captain.
Forward Alex Wennberg is familiar with the scenario. During his rookie NHL season with Columbus, the team was in its third year of having only alternate captains.
"Right now, I feel like it's great to start this way and it doesn't mean you don't have leaders in the group," said Wennberg. "It doesn't mean no one's in charge. It means that it's more of a team effort, that everyone gets together.
"Maybe the alternate captains are all making big pushes together instead of one guy out to pull the whole thing. I feel like we can benefit from it."
Schwartz, too, has played on teams going without a captain, saying every organization is different. What the veteran forward sees in Seattle's existing leadership group is the skill set to guide this team successfully.
"I tried to learn a lot from (other leaders I've played with)," Schwartz said. "They were just themselves. They were really caring towards others and put the team first. They came in and worked hard every day. (They were) consistent with that and whether you win or lose, you come in the next day and you have a good mindset. Caring for your teammates genuinely and holding them accountable goes a long way."
Each of the four Kraken alternate captains brings vast experience from their years of success in the league. Schwartz learned alongside St. Louis leaders and teammates as part of a group that ultimately won the Stanley Cup in 2019.
Above all else, what resonates with every player in the locker room is ultimately, no one player needs a letter on their sweater to be a leader or to give the team what it needs most at the right time.
Yanni Gourde laughs when asked what responsibilities he puts on himself because he wears an A. To him, it doesn't change a thing.
"There's a lot of ways to be a leader," Gourde said. "You can be very loud in the locker room. You can show up in the gym early. You can go on the ice and be relentless. You can take a hit on a random play. Or just making the right play and making the right decision, that's showing leadership.
"Some guys don't have letters, but they still do those things. I think that's what brings this team to the next level. Once there are more leaders and more guys to keep doing that stuff, that's when we're going to take another step and be a better team."
