Who will be the next captain of the Blues?

David Backes departing for the Boston Bruins not only leaves a hole at forward, but it also leaves a vacancy at captain. Backes was the player fans rallied for to become the next captain of the team even before Eric Brewer was moved out of the role, but now the change isn’t quite as obvious. Who should become the 21st captain in franchise history?

Unlike the Backes situation back when Brewer still called St. Louis home, there isn’t an obvious answer but there are a couple solid possibilities.

Alex Pietrangelo

Pietrangelo is already recognized as a leader on the Blues and was named an alternate captain back in 2011. Since then, he’s been the team’s most consistent defenseman and has undeniably been the leader of the defense. At 26, Pietrangelo has already been with the Blues for eight seasons after making his debut back in the 2008-09 season.

Pietrangelo is under contract through 2019-20 and seems like the most logical and best option as the next captain of the Blues. It might even be surprising if the Blues name any other player captain over Pietrangelo.

Alexander Steen

Though Pietrangelo seems like the most obvious and best choice, Steen could be another short-term option. Steen is the other alternate captain for the Blues and has also been on the roster since 2008-09. At 32, his age and his current contract status (his deal ends in 2016-17) may remove him from the discussion unless he receives a new contract.

There’s no question that the pulse of the Blues tends to be based off of Steen and whether or not he’s in the lineup, but other factors may push the role to another player.

Another Option?

One other route the Blues could take would be to name new alternate captains alongside Steen and Pietrangelo while electing to hold off on naming a captain. They could skate through 2016-17 without an official captain (honestly, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal as the title is mostly symbolic) and then hand the reigns off to a different skater – maybe a younger skater – in 2017-18.

This is the least likely outcome, but it’s the most likely avenue the team would take should they disagree with Pietrangelo or Steen wearing the “C” on their sweater.