Mikael Granlund named 10th captain in Ducks history

The Anaheim Ducks announced that veteran Mikael Granlund has been named the 10th captain in franchise history. Granlund is approaching his 15th NHL season and his second with the Ducks.

Although it’s somewhat surprising that Anaheim would hand the "C" to a player who has only been with the team for a year, it’s not unfamiliar territory for them. Three years after Ryan Getzlaf retired, the Ducks named Radko Gudas as the ninth captain in team history in his second year with the club. Gudas was 34 at the time, the same age Granlund is now.

The Ducks value having an experienced player in a leadership role. As one of the best players in his free agency class, Granlund signed a three-year, $21M ($7M AAV) contract to bring his talents to Orange County.

In his lone season with the Ducks, Granlund played relatively well, but was limited by injuries. The Oulu, Finland, native registered 19 goals and 41 points in 58 games with a -9 rating, averaging 19:10 of ice time per game. Despite missing approximately 30% of Anaheim’s regular-season contests, he tied for seventh on the team in scoring.

Although this is Granlund’s first time as an NHL captain, he has held formal leadership positions before. He served as alternate captain with the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, and has worn the ‘C’ on several occasions for Team Finland at varying international competitions, including the Olympic Games in Milan earlier this calendar year.

While Granlund deserves the honor for his career achievements, this decision may raise questions. The Ducks have had a challenging offseason, and while the team has expressed a commitment to building around Leo Carlsson, his earlier decision to sign a five-year offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers may have removed him from consideration for that role.

Still, the Ducks may not have thought Carlsson, or another one of their many talented young players, was ready for the role, regardless of any decision they made or did not make throughout the offseason.