The Detroit Red Wings stripped Dylan Larkin of the captaincy on Sept. 11, and the team said it will open the 2026-27 season without naming a replacement. Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider stay on as the alternate captains.

Training camp opens Wednesday, and Seider’s name keeps coming up as the favorite to take the C whenever Detroit gets around to handing it out. One national voice is not waiting for the announcement.

John Buccigross Expects Moritz Seider to Be the Next Captain

John Buccigross, an NHL analyst at ESPN, was on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast with Paul Bissonnette talking through the Larkin situation. Buccigross does not think the next part is much of a mystery.

Buccigross said:

“Seider is going to be the captain, let’s face it. He’s the guy they’re going to put the image, you know, the image and likeness of the Red Wings is him, and that’s what they want everybody to be like. Like when it was Lidstrom back in the day and Yzerman back in the day, that’s who they want to be like, is him.”

It Would Be Detroit’s First Defenseman With the C Since Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom wore the C in Detroit from 2006 to 2012, and every captain since has been a forward. Seider is 25 with a long NHL career in front of him. If the Red Wings hand him the letter, he would be the first defenseman to captain the franchise since Lidstrom retired.