Leo Carlsson left without C as Ducks hand captaincy to Mikael Granlund

The Anaheim Ducks have turned to veteran Mikael Granlund as their new captain, a decision that leaves emerging franchise cornerstone Leo Carlsson without a letter and has fuelled debate across the NHL. The move comes on the heels of a massive extension for Carlsson, finalized only after Anaheim matched an aggressive offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers. With that backdrop, the captaincy call is being scrutinized well beyond a normal leadership announcement.

Speculation of a message after Flyers offer sheet

On TSN’s OverDrive, host Bryan Hayes floated the idea that the Ducks’ choice was more than a standard room vote. In his view, naming Granlund captain could double as a pointed response to Carlsson for accepting the Flyers’ offer sheet, a move that left Anaheim locked into a huge contract it had tried to avoid. The fallout included tighter cap constraints, a major deal for Cutter Gauthier and the departure of veteran forward Chris Kreider.

The theory goes that the Ducks’ front office is still smarting from how negotiations unfolded. Had Philadelphia never stepped in, some wonder whether Carlsson would already be wearing the C in Anaheim. There is no confirmation from the team that this is the case, but the timing has kept that question in circulation.

Heat shifts to GM Pat Verbeek, not Carlsson

Others are pushing back on the idea that Carlsson deserves any blame. Players are entitled to pursue the best deal available, and around the league his willingness to leverage an offer sheet was seen by many as setting a new benchmark for top talents. According to reports, Carlsson may even have been open to a more modest number had the Ducks moved earlier to lock him up.

That has shifted attention to general manager Pat Verbeek, criticized for allowing negotiations to drag on long enough for the Flyers to step in. By holding out for a bargain instead of a market-rate extension, Anaheim ultimately ended up paying more and operating with less room under the cap than initially planned.

Granlund in the crossfire and a potential bridge captain

Lost in the noise is Granlund himself, who finds his leadership questioned simply because of the circumstances. He is in only his second season with the Ducks, but he brings a significant résumé, including serving as captain for Finland at the 2026 Olympics. The implication that he is merely a backup option overlooks the stature he carries in most dressing rooms.

It is also plausible that Anaheim views this as a transitional captaincy, handing the C to a steady veteran while Carlsson continues to mature in the NHL. The young Swede still looks very much like a future captain in both performance and demeanour. If the present decision is rooted in frustration over contract talks, however, the longer-term scrutiny is likely to land on Verbeek and the front office rather than on the player who exercised his rights.