Stanley Cup handoff offers many options for playoff captains

Every hockey player dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. Once NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman hands it to the captain of the winning team, the question becomes who will receive it next.

In 2001, Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic didn't lift the Cup, but handed it to 22-year veteran defenseman Ray Bourque. In 2018, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin gave it to longtime linemate Nicklas Backstrom. Last season, Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog handed it to Erik Johnson, the longest-tenured player on the team.
Who could get the first handoff this season? A rookie, veteran or someone who's lifted it before?
Here's a look at who could get the first pass for each of the 16 teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Boston Bruins: Captain Patrice Bergeron to forward Brad Marchand
The Bruins haven't won the Cup since 2011, but three key pieces remain from that run; Bergeron, Marchand and David Krejci. The forwards rank in the top 13 in goals, assists and points in Boston history and have been three of the most important players in the franchise's history, so it would only be fitting for Bergeron to hand the Cup to one of them, likely Marchand and then Krejci. Forward David Pastrnak also should be among the first to touch the Cup.
Second choice: Krejci
Carolina Hurricanes: Captain Jordan Staal to defenseman Jaccob Slavin
The Hurricanes have plenty of veterans who have been with the team a long time, which means Staal will have his choice of worthy candidates. However, expect it to go to assistant captain Slavin, who has been on the team for eight seasons, before it gets passed to the other core players.
Second choice: Derek Stepan
Colorado Avalanche: Captain Gabriel Landeskog to forward Nathan MacKinnon
Although he hasn't played this season and won't return for the playoffs, Landeskog could be on the ice if the Avalanche win the Cup for the second straight season. Last year, he gave it to Johnson. Though most players on the Avalanche were on the team last year, Landeskog should hand it first to MacKinnon, who scored over 100 points (111) for the first time this season and has scored the third-most points per game in the playoffs in NHL history (minimum 38 games).
Second choice: Mikko Rantanen
Dallas Stars: Captain Jamie Benn to forward Joe Pavelski
Benn has been the heart and soul of the team for 14 seasons, and although Pavelski has only been with them for four seasons, he's made his presence felt. Pavelski, the highest-scoring, United States-born player in NHL playoff history, was third on the Stars with 77 points this season and helped them advance to the Cup Final in 2020, when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. The other choice would be 18-year veteran Ryan Suter, who has played the most games among active players without winning the Cup (1,362).
Second choice: Suter
Edmonton Oilers: Captain Connor McDavid to forward Leon Draisaitl
McDavid, who led the NHL in goals (64), assists (89) and points (153), has his sights on bigger goals than the NHL scoring race, including the Stanley Cup. If the Oilers win, the two players that likely will have carried them there are McDavid and his running mate Draisaitl, who finished second in scoring with 128 points. The other likely candidate is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, who's been with the team for 12 seasons.
Second choice:Nugent-Hopkins
Florida Panthers: Captain Aleksander Barkov to defenseman Aaron Ekblad
Ekblad, the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft has been a huge part of the Panthers' resurgence over the past handful of seasons. And if Florida wins the Cup for the first time, there's a good chance Ekblad will have played a big part in it, offensively and defensively. It could also go to Marc Staal, the 16-year veteran who has yet to win the Cup.
Second choice: Staal
Los Angeles Kings: Captain Anze Kopitar to defenseman Drew Doughty
It's been 11 years since the Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time and nine years since the last time. With Dustin Brown retiring after last season and Jonathan Quick getting traded to the Vegas Golden Knights last month, Kopitar and Doughty are the last two remaining players from those teams, so the question is, who will get the second pass?
Second choice:Alexander Edler
Minnesota Wild: Captain Jared Spurgeon to defenseman Matt Dumba
If the Wild win their first Stanley Cup championship, who would Spurgeon give the Cup to? It should be Dumba, the veteran defenseman, or forward and alternate captain Marcus Foligno. Forward Kirill Kaprizov, who set the team record for goals (45) and points (105) in a season in 2021-22, or goalie and three-time Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury also should be toward the front of the handoff line.
Second choice: Fleury
New Jersey Devils: Captain Nico Hischier to forward Jack Hughes
It's been an incredible turnaround for the Devils, who improved by 25 wins and 49 points from last season. One of the reasons for the success this season was Hughes, who set the Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts record for points in a season (99) and had 44 goals to boot. It would be fitting to see two cornerstones of the team, and two No. 1 draft picks (Hischier, 2017; Hughes, 2019) enjoy the first handoff.
Second choice: Damon Severson
New York Islanders: Captain Anders Lee to forward Josh Bailey
Lee may be the captain, but there's no more deserving Islanders player to get the Cup than Bailey, an alternate captain who's been with New York since 2008-09 and seen more losing than winning in his time. Bailey would then share it with one of his longtime teammates, Casey Cizikas, Matt Martin or Brock Nelson.
Second choice:Nelson
New York Rangers: Captain Jacob Trouba to forward Chris Kreider
If the Rangers win the Cup for the first time since 1994, Trouba has a handful of candidates to hand the Cup to first, including Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. But it will go to Kreider, the longest-tenured player on the team (11 seasons). He has been a consistent scorer and plays in all situations.
Second choice:Zibanejad
Seattle Kraken: Alternate captain Adam Larsson to forward Jordan Eberle
The Kraken have not had a captain since trading Mark Giordano to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. They have several alternates, including Larsson, Yanni Gourde, Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle. Larsson and Eberle have not won the Cup before, which Gourde (2020, 2021, Tampa Bay Lightning) and Schwartz (2019, St. Louis Blues) have, so look for those two to get their hands on the prize first. In addition, the Kraken have five others on the roster who have won the Cup: Andre Burakovsky (2018, Washington Capitals; 2022 Colorado Avalanche), Vince Dunn (2019, Blues), Justin Schultz (2016-17, Pittsburgh Penguins), Martin Jones (2014, Los Angeles Kings), Philipp Grubauer (2018 Capitals).
Second choice:Jared McCann
Tampa Bay Lightning: Captain Steven Stamkos to forward Corey Perry
If Stamkos gets the Cup for the third time in four seasons, look for it to go to Perry, an 18-year veteran who joined the Lightning last season after they defeated him in the Cup Final each of the past two seasons (2020 Stars; 2021 Montreal Canadiens). Perry has lost in the Final three straight seasons (including last year to the Avalanche) and hasn't won the Cup since 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. The other option could be 16-year veteran goalie Brian Elliott, who hasn't wont the Cup.
Second choice: Victor Hedman
Toronto Maple Leafs: Captain John Tavares to forward Auston Matthews
Tavares may be the captain but Matthews is the face of the franchise. Matthews, one of the most dynamic players in the NHL, who scored 60 goals last season, is the obvious choice, although 39-year-old defenseman Mark Giordano, a 17-year veteran who was born in Toronto, is the sentimental choice.
Second choice:Giordano
Vegas Golden Knights: Captain Mark Stone to forward Jonathan Marchessault
Stone may be the captain, but Marchessault is an original Golden Knight who is the team's all-time leader in games and points. In addition to Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore remain from the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, so the first couple of handoffs should be fairly unsurprising.
Second choice:Karlsson
Winnipeg Jets: Alternate captain Adam Lowry to forward Blake Wheeler
If the Jets win the Cup, we could have a Ray Bourque scenario where whichever alternate gets the Cup first just lets Wheeler, the longest-tenured member in Jets history, who leads the franchise in games (897) and points (812). Wheeler was captain from 2016-22 and is the lone player on the team who played for the Atlanta Thrashers.
Second choice: Mark Scheifele