Stanley Cup handoff offers many options for playoff captains

Every hockey player dreams of winning the Stanley Cup. Once NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman hands it to the captain of the winning team, the question becomes who will receive it next.
In 2001, Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic didn't lift the Cup, but handed it to 22-year veteran defenseman Ray Bourque. In 2018, Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin gave it to longtime linemate Nicklas Backstrom. Last season, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos handed it to defenseman Victor Hedman.
Who could get the first handoff this season? A rookie, veteran or someone who's lifted it before?
Here's a look at who could get the first pass for each of the 16 teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

Boston Bruins: Captain Patrice Bergeron to goalie Tuukka Rask
When the Bruins last won the Cup in 2011, captain Zdeno Chara handed it to Mark Recchi. Bergeron was on that team, as was Rask, but the goalie didn't play a single minute as the backup to Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas. This time, he will have played a big role and will get the first handoff before it goes to another veteran, David Krejci.
Second choice: Krejci
Carolina Hurricanes: Captain Jordan Staal to forward Sebastian Aho
The Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL all season and have done it with balance. Eight players have scored at least 10 goals and nine at least 20 points. Though Staal will have his choice of worthy candidates, expect it to go to leading point and goal scorer Sebastian Aho before it gets passed to the other veterans.
Second choice: Jaccob Slavin
Colorado Avalanche: Captain Gabriel Landeskog to center Nathan MacKinnon
Landeskog should give it to Erik Johnson, who's played for the Avalanche since 2010-11 and is their longest tenured player. However, the defenseman hasn't played since Jan. 30 because of an injury. That leaves MacKinnon as the next choice. The potential Hart Trophy candidate as NHL most valuable player scored 25 points in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season and led the postseason with an average of 1.67 points per game.
Second choice: Johnson
Edmonton Oilers: Captain Connor McDavid to forward Leon Draisaitl
McDavid, who has scored 102 points and is a top Hart contender, has said all season he has his sights on bigger goals, including the Stanley Cup. If the Oilers win, the two players that likely will have carried them there are McDavid and his running mate, Draisaitl, who is second in scoring with 81 points. The bigger question is, who would get it after Draisaitl?
Second choice: Mike Smith
Florida Panthers: Captain Aleksander Barkov to forward Jonathan Huberdeau
The Panthers have won three playoff series in their history, all coming in 1996, when they were swept in the Stanley Cup Final by the Avalanche. If they make a run this season, Barkov should reward Huberdeau, his frequent linemate and Florida's leading scorer (498 points) since it entered the NHL in 1993-94.
Second choice: Keith Yandle
Minnesota Wild: Captain Jared Spurgeon to forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter
With what they have meant to the Wild over the past decade, it would be fitting if Parise and Suter, who each signed an identical 15-year, $98 million contract with Minnesota prior to the 2012-13 season, get to take a lap together with the Cup. If not, Spurgeon likely would hand it to Suter, who would give it to Parise before the other veterans get their turn.
Second choice: Matt Dumba
Montreal Canadiens: Captain Shea Weber to goalie Carey Price
This would appear to be one of the more obvious locks among all teams. Price has been one of the best goalies in the NHL the past decade with 360 wins, most in Canadiens history. No one means more to the Canadiens than Price, so the real question isn't who will get the first handoff, but the second one.
Second choice: Brendan Gallagher
Nashville Predators: Captain Roman Josi to goalie Pekka Rinne
Rinne has played 16 seasons for the Predators since being selected in the eighth round (No. 258) of the 2004 NHL Draft. The 38-year-old is their leader in wins (369) and shutouts (60), and fourth in games played (683). It would be fitting to see him lift the Cup before announcing his retirement. Veteran defensemen and alternate captains Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis, and forward Filip Forsberg, would be next in line.
Second choice: Ellis
New York Islanders: Captain Anders Lee to forward Josh Bailey
Lee is out for the season with an injury, and if he doesn't accept the Cup from Commissioner Bettman, it likely would Bailey, an alternate captain who's been with New York since 2008-09 and seen more losing than winning in his time. Though numerous players have been with the Islanders longer, Andy Greene, a 38-year-old defenseman, could be among the first to get to touch the trophy.
Second choice: Greene
Pittsburgh Penguins: Captain Sidney Crosby to center Evgeni Malkin
Crosby has lifted the Cup three times and each time he's handed off to a veteran. In 2009, it was forward Bill Guerin, who won the Cup with the New Jersey Devils 14 years prior. In 2016, it was defenseman Trevor Daley, a 12-season veteran, and in 2017 it was defenseman Ron Hainsey, a 14-season veteran who had never competed in the playoffs. If the Penguins win the Cup for the fourth time in 13 seasons, it could be Malkin this time around.
Second choice: Kris Letang
St. Louis Blues: Captain Ryan O'Reilly to defenseman Justin Faulk
With nearly all the Blues having won the Cup in 2018-19, it will be interesting to see who O'Reilly hands it off to. It likely would either be Faulk, who joined the Blues last season, or forward Mike Hoffman, who joined them this season. Those two likely would be among the first to touch it.
Second choice: Hoffman
Tampa Bay Lightning: Captain Steven Stamkos to defenseman David Savard
Like the Blues, almost every player on the Lightning would be a two-time winner. Stamkos likely would hand it to Savard, a defenseman who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline to add depth.
Second choice: Victor Hedman
Toronto Maple Leafs: Captain John Tavares to forward Joe Thornton
If the Maple Leafs end their Stanley Cup drought at 54 years, tied with the New York Rangers (1940 to 1994) for the longest in NHL history, Tavares will have several options but it's hard to see him not handing or letting Thornton, a 41-year-old forward, be the first to touch it. Thornton is in his 23rd NHL season and ranks 14th in NHL history in points (1,528). The second choice would be 37-year-old forward Jason Spezza, a Toronto native who has played 18 NHL seasons.
Second choice: Spezza
Vegas Golden Knights: Captain Mark Stone to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury
This could be one of the more interesting handoffs. Fleury, the face of the Golden Knights since they selected him in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, likely would be first. But then who? It would probably be forwards Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson and Reilly Smith, three original Golden Knights, in some order.
Second choice: Marchessault
Washington Capitals: Captain Alex Ovechkin to defenseman Zdeno Chara
Chara, the oldest player in the NHL at age 44, is in his 23rd season, and although he has lifted the Cup before, it's hard to see him not getting it first. He has played 1,608 NHL games, has missed one game this season and was selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association as Washington's nominee for the Masterton Trophy, awarded for perseverance and dedication to hockey. Chara would have options who to hand it to next, including forward Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman John Carlson.
Second choice: Backstrom
Winnipeg Jets: Captain Blake Wheeler to forward Mark Scheifele
Bryan Little is the longest-tenured player on the Jets, having been selected by the Atlanta Thrashers with the No. 12 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft prior to the team relocating to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season. Little has not played since the 2019-20 season because of an ear injury. If he is not in attendance, expect Scheifele, who has led the offense for years, to get it from Wheeler.
Second choice: Connor Hellebuyck