New head coach Scott Robertson is keeping his powder dry over who will be the first All Blacks captain under his tenure.
Incumbent captain Sam Cane has announced he'll step away from international rugby at the end of this year to take up a long-term deal in Japan.
While he may still add to his 95 tests before he hangs up his black jersey, he concedes his 27-test reign as captain has come to an end.
Robertson says his lips are sealed on Cane's successor, until he names his maiden 32-man squad to face England and Fiji on June 24, after the Super Rugby Pacific final.
"There's been conversations that have been had and discussions with players," Robertson said. "Yes, there has been... that's all I can say.''
Ardie Savea and Scott Barrett appear to be the frontrunners for the job, with the latter working under Robertson through seasons of Crusaders Super Rugby dominance.
Like Cane, Savea decided to skip the Super Rugby Pacific season, opting to activate the sabbatical clause in his contract, but will be back in New Zealand and available for All Blacks selection in time for the opening match of their test season against England at Dunedin on July 6.
Further muddying those waters is another significant back injury that prematurely ended Cane's debut campaign with Suntory Sungoliath in January.
As planned, he'll return to New Zealand after Super Rugby in anticipation of the test season, but Robertson doesn't expect he will be available for selection until the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina on August 10, meaning he'll miss the July series against England.
Cane will likely need to regain match conditioning with via club rugby and Roberston says he must prove his form to earn a spot in his side.
"He's coming back from injury," added Robertson. "He's got to perform to be involved in the All Blacks and he knows that.
"He's been involved in leadership meetings already, he's got that leadership quality of being able to say the right thing at the right time.
"When you've played 95 tests, you know what it takes. He's available and if he performs, it's up to me to pick him."
Robertson says Cane informed both himself and assistant coach Jason Ryan of his plan to seek an early release from his NZR contract to take up a three-year deal with the Top League club, stating his desire to spend more time with his expanding family and set them up for the future.
"He wanted to make sure he could look us in the eyes and tell us what he was thinking,'' said Robertson. "He just wanted to talk us through it and by the end of the conversation, it was pretty clear that the offer he had got was the right thing for him and his family.''
Identifying potential combinations has been the main focus for Robertson and his staff, as they look ahead to their two tests against the English and trip to San Diego to face Fiji.
In a positive dose of injury news, Robertson also confirms he expects star back Will Jordan will have recovered from the shoulder surgery that squashed his Super Rugby Pacific season in time for the opening match of the Rugby Championship against the Pumas.
