This was being discussed yesterday in the free agency thread, but I don't want to derail it with a post just about the captaincy... IMO giving the C to Stamkos would feel kind of gross, and the fact that we did it with Scott Niedermayer doesn't change that. Niedermayer was still a game breaker who came here to win with his brother, and was given the C by an organization making win-now moves. Stamkos is (apparently? I admittedly don't watch enough Lightning games to know if it's really as bad as it sounds) falling off and would be coming to play elder statesman for a team that's very unlikely to seriously contend during his contract, presumably because we threw more money at him than anyone else. Unless someone's got a plausible vision for Stamkos winning the Conn Smythe with the Ducks in 2026, they're just not comparable situations.
Verbeek categorically excluded the idea of a bridge captain after Getzlaf retired, then cheerfully put the team through two of the most miserable seasons in decades. (I know, we can debate how much of this season was design and how much was injuries, but the fact that he says he's happy with how things went this year says he at least wasn't real broken up about the disaster.) Maybe this is just silly sentimentality talking, but it feels like at this point the captain needs to be someone who's paid their dues to this particular tire fire. Give it to a younger player and let them grow into the role, give it to a vet who's at least been through one year of the mess, don't overpay a guy to be the bridge captain (which you previously said you didn't want) purely on the strength of his accomplishments with another team. If real leaders don't need letters, then neither does Stamkos if you bring him in for Veteran Presence. If leaders do need letters, the last two seasons were malpractice and the whole situation would somehow feel worse.
Honestly, I'd never have believed it last offseason but I'm getting onboard the Zegras train. I'd start him with an A next season and see how it goes. Cronin's already said outright that he's being treated differently because he has a responsibility as a de facto leader, so make it official.