The Toronto Maple Leafs recently named Auston Matthews captain, replacing John Tavares, who wore the “C” for the past five seasons. Heading into the 2024-25 season, Tavares would have been one of the longest-serving leaders in the NHL, but the clock has been reset with Matthews assuming the duties.
With a changing of the guard in Toronto, there’s been a reshuffle among the NHL’s current longest-serving captains. Here’s a breakdown of who has been leading their teams the longest.
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Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks) Five seasons
Like many skaters on this list, Logan Couture has played his entire career with the San Jose Sharks, who promoted him to captain in 2019. After 15 seasons with the organization, he’s worked his way into the record book, ranking in the top five for games played, goals, assists, and points. Although Couture only played six games in 2023-24, if he returns for the upcoming season, he’ll become the longest-serving captain in Sharks history.
Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) Five seasons
Jordan Staal joined the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012 and was promoted to team captain in 2017. He served in the role for a season before Justin Williams took over. After one year, William retired, and Staal had the “C” stitched on his jersey again for the 2019-20 campaign. He has remained the Hurricanes’ leader for the past five seasons.
Anders Lee (New York Islanders) Six seasons
Anders Lee was a sixth-round pick for the New York Islanders in the 2009 Draft. He’s been skating with the club since the 2012-13 season and is approaching 800 games. After New York traded their previous captain, Tavares, in 2018, Lee was announced as his replacement and is entering his seventh season in the role.
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) Six seasons
Aleksander Barkov is the latest NHL captain to hoist the Stanley Cup, helping the Florida Panthers win their first title in June 2024. The Finnish native is just one of 10 non-Canadian-born leaders to win hockey’s top prize and is arguably one of the best players in franchise history. Barkov was promoted to captain in 2018 at just 23 and remains the Panthers leader heading into his seventh campaign.
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Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) Seven seasons
Roman Josi is a former Norris Trophy winner who has played his entire career with the Nashville Predators, serving as their captain for the past seven seasons. At 34, he’s already the franchise leader in games played (909), assists (505), and points (686).
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings) Eight seasons
Anze Kopitar is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and the Los Angeles Kings all-time leader in games played (1,373) and assists (792). He assumed the captaincy ahead of the 2016-17 season from his longtime teammate Dustin Brown, the only player to lead the franchise to a championship. At 36, Kopitar is a long shot to break the Kings’ record for most goals, but the points record is within his reach, making him one of their best players.
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) Eight seasons
Connor McDavid is arguably the best player in professional hockey. Despite his long list of achievements, including five scoring titles and three league MVPs, he’s done something that Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier never did: he’s been captain of the Edmonton Oilers for over five seasons. McDavid is the franchise’s longest-serving leader and continues his quest to bring the Stanley Cup back to Alberta after 30 years.
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Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche) 10 seasons*
The Colorado Avalanche named Gabriel Landeskog to the captaincy in 2012-13 at 20 years old. He’s been the team’s leader ever since, leading the franchise to the Stanley Cup in 2022. However, that night was also the last time he skated. Landeskog has been battling through a knee operation and rehab. In his absence, the Avalanche have not replaced him as captain, allowing him to remain unofficially one of the league’s longest-serving leaders.
Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars) 11 seasons
Jamie Benn has quietly served as the captain of the Dallas Stars for the past 11 seasons, becoming the only player to lead the club for over a decade. As one of the longest-tenured players to wear the Stars sweater, Benn trails Hall of Famer Mike Modano in every significant category, including games played, goals, assists, and points.
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) 15 seasons
Alex Ovechkin is only 41 goals from tying Gretzky’s record for most goals at 894. On his path to immortality, The Great 8 has served as captain of the Washington Capitals for the past 15 seasons, helping the franchise win their only Stanley Cup title in 2018. On top of all his accolades, Ovechkin is in the ever rarer company as one of the longest-serving captains in NHL history, as only five other players have worn the “C” for 15 years.
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Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) 17 seasons
Sidney Crosby is about to enter his 18th season as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. If he remains with the team and continues as their leader, he’ll be one season from tying Steve Yzerman as the longest-serving captain (19 seasons) in NHL history. In 2024-25, Crosby will play his 1,300th game, score his 600th goal, and collect his 1,600th point. At 37, he hasn’t indicated he’s contemplating retirement, so finishing as a top-five scorer is not out of the question.
