Swedish NHL captains, past and present
Dahlin, Backlund, Landeskog and Hedman captain NHL teams in 2026/27. Current appointments, notable former captains and the difference between C and A.
Rasmus Dahlin, Mikael Backlund, Gabriel Landeskog and Victor Hedman are Swedish NHL team captains. They captain Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado and Tampa Bay respectively. This list concerns NHL clubs, not leadership appointments with Sweden's national team.
Swedish NHL captains in 2026/27
- Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres: captain since 2024.
- Mikael Backlund, Calgary Flames: captain since 2023.
- Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche: captain since 2012.
- Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning: captain since 2024.
The current group follows the NHL's list of club captains. Calgary also confirmed Backlund's continued role in its September 30, 2026 announcement.
Landeskog is the longest-serving captain of the four, having been appointed September 4, 2012, according to Colorado's historical account.
Dahlin was appointed September 26, 2024; Hedman on September 18 that year. Their appointments preceded the same season. Sources: Buffalo's announcement and Tampa Bay's announcement.
Notable former Swedish captains
Before today's captains, Swedes such as Mats Sundin, Daniel Alfredsson and Henrik Zetterberg wore the C for their NHL clubs. The list gives their seasons as captain.
- Mats Sundin, Toronto: 1997/98–2007/08.
- Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa: 1999/00–2012/13.
- Markus Näslund, Vancouver: 2000/01–2007/08.
- Nicklas Lidström, Detroit: 2006/07–2011/12.
- Henrik Sedin, Vancouver: 2010/11–2017/18.
- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit: 2012/13–2017/18.
- Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: 2014/15–2017/18.
The Toronto, Ottawa and Detroit periods are documented in the NHL's 2023 Global Series history pack. Näslund and Sedin appear in Vancouver's captaincy history.
Swedish captains who won the Stanley Cup
Two Swedish captains have won the Stanley Cup: Nicklas Lidström with Detroit in the 2008 playoffs and Gabriel Landeskog with Colorado in the 2022 playoffs.
The player must have been captain during the championship season. Earlier titles or championships won as an alternate do not count towards this distinction.
C, A and national-team appointments
The C identifies the captain; an A identifies an alternate. Alternate appointments can be permanent or rotate between games.
National-team leadership is separate too. A player can captain Sweden without holding that position in his NHL club.