Mikael Granlund is the new captain in Anaheim, and the Ducks handed him that letter at 34 years old.
They went into this camp without one. NHL.com still had them on the no-captain list as recently as September 17.
He earned it on usage as much as anything. He averaged 19:10 a night last season and led every Anaheim forward in ice time.
That came alongside 41 points in only 58 games played.
Nineteen goals and 22 assists inside that stretch, from a man nobody brought in strictly for the offence.
He scored 5 goals in the spring, tying for the team lead. His playoff point total ranked fourth on the club.
He's also built real chemistry with young forward Beckett Sennecke. That matters on a roster getting younger every season.
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Anaheim Ducks name a new captain with a big challenge ahead
Anaheim finished 43-33-6 and third in the Pacific. That was a first playoff trip since 2017-18, and it ended in the second round.
Pat Verbeek signed him to a three-year deal in July 2025, after he put up 66 points split between San Jose and Dallas.
He helped Dallas reach the Western Conference Final that spring with 10 points across 18 playoff games.
The Finn has captained his country at the 2012 World Junior Championship and at both the 2018 and 2024 World Championships.
He'll wear it again at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which is its own kind of endorsement.
He's past 900 NHL games and 600 career points. Minnesota took him ninth overall back in 2010.
Seven seasons in Minnesota, then Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Jose and Dallas. Anaheim makes six organizations.
Verbeek has spent the month locking his own room down. Cutter Gauthier signed for six years and Tim Washe added four.
The Ducks opened the exhibition schedule with a 6-2 win over San Jose on Sunday. Los Angeles visits Wednesday.
So why hand it to a 34-year-old on a young team? Naming a veteran captain in a room full of kids works like putting the experienced driver behind the wheel on a long trip.
Granlund got that letter for what he's already done. Whether it translates in a room this young is a question nobody answers in September.
Should the Ducks have given the captaincy to a younger player instead?
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