The Philadelphia Flyers have had a leadership opening since the NHL trade deadline, and Travis Sanheim is a prime candidate to step in and step up.
Captain Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, who wears the 'A' for the Flyers, remain from last season's leadership group, but Scott Laughton and his 'A' were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the NHL trade deadline last year.
That leaves new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet with a decision to make ahead of opening night, though it's a fairly obvious choice at this juncture.
Sanheim, 29, is the best choice to join the Flyers' leaders going forward, cementing his rise from trade candidate to acting No. 1 defenseman for the team that drafted him in 2014.
Sanheim, along with Couturier, was on hand for the Flyers for the official unveiling of Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday, which says a lot about him and how the Flyers see him.
Drafted 17th overall by the Flyers just over a decade ago, Sanheim has seen the playoffs and missed the playoffs, had great seasons and had bad seasons, but still managed to continue to work every day, every season, and improve to where he is today.
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Regardless of how good you think Sanheim truly is, he's represented Canada, and he's the backbone of the Flyers.
He, Couturier, and Konecny all have this in common: they were all first-round picks of the Flyers, became NHL regulars early in their careers, and have been through the highs and lows of the NHL to become the leaders they are today.
This is exactly the kind of message the Flyers want to convey to their rising young players, like Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Matvei Michkov.
The Flyers have other candidates for assistant captaincy, too, like Nick Seeler and Noah Cates, but Sanheim has been in Philadelphia the longest and has undergone the ascent reflective of a long-term leader.
Expect the smooth-skating defender to tack on even more responsibility under Tocchet with the Flyers in the 2025-26 season.