All I can say is it’s about time that Auston Matthews was named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As much as I like John Tavares, it was time for a change, and he definitely knew that too.
Most people think the main issue with the current era of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the core-four, when in my opinion it’s their mindset and the team’s culture.
A new coach and now a brand-new captain is sure to change that, for better or for worse.
Auston Matthews taking a new role should change the Toronto Maple Leafs culture
Back in the summer of 2019, the battle to be named team captain was a three-horse race between Matthews, Tavares, and Morgan Rielly.
After an off-ice incident likely took Matthews out of the running, Tavares was ultimately chosen. I had no issue with this decision, Tavares was fresh off a career-best season and had experience as captain of the New York Islanders.
Unfortunately, now people seem to think this was the wrong decision.
With all the playoff disappointments in the last eight years, fans love pointing fingers and blaming anyone they can, and more recenlty a lot of the blame has been going towards Tavares.
Now I do not think the constant losing is one player’s fault, nor do I think Tavares is a bad leader. If either of Rielly or Matthews was named captain instead of Tavares, do the Leafs win a Stanley Cup from 2019-now? We can speculate, but we will never truly know.
Naming Matthews captain isn’t about taking it away from Tavares (in fact I believe Tavares more than likely had a say in giving it up to Matthews), it’s about finding a new leader and changing the team’s culture.
If the Leafs aren’t going to move one of their big-name players, changing their culture is one way to shake things up.
Hiring coach Craig Berube was a good start, and naming a new captain is another good way to change the team’s culture.
More of a vocal leader like Matthews will obviously have a different affect on the team, as opposed to Tavares, who was more of a “lead by example” guy. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that, but a change was definitely needed.
While there is almost no way this move can backfire, only time will tell if Matthews is capable of captaining a team to a Stanley Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Three John Tavares trade destinations
The Toronto Maple Leafs stripped John Tavares of the captaincy this week, which will spark trade rumors.
Although it feels like Tavares had a strong say in giving up the captaincy, that’s a huge blow to a player who did the unthinkable and signed in Toronto. When Tavares came north, it was the beginning of a new era. Although there was hope after Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander were drafted, Tavares was the cherry on top.
We’re currently entering Year 7 of Tavares and everything he’s done has been fantastic. He’s been a great leader and someone who’s contributed every night. If it wasn’t for a devastating injury he suffered during the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens a few years ago, we may be looking at this team a lot differently.
We all seem to forget that injury because it happened at a time in everyone’s life that was a blur, but if Tavares stays healthy, I think the Leafs win Game 1 and ultimately win the series. However, he couldn’t play the rest of the series and the team ultimately lost in seven games.
The end of the Tavares Era feels virtually finished after this change and as a result, should the Leafs explore a trade? Getting stripped as the captain is one of the toughest things an organization can do, so although Matthews is a great choice to become the next captain, Tavares could be more open to moving on from the organization he once uprooted his life for.
As a result, let’s explore three potential trade destinations if the Leafs were to trade Tavares.
Toronto Maple Leafs Name Auston Matthews Captain
The Toronto Maple Leafs will hold a press conference at 11:00 am EST on Wednesday, August 14th.
There it is expected that the Toronto Maple Leafs will announce that star center Auston Matthews will be named captain. Matthews will be the 26th captain in franchise history, taking over for teammate John Tavares who has worn the “C” since 2019.
The transitioning of captains makes sense now, as the team has undergone many large organizational shifts in the past year or so with the ousting of former GM Kyle Dubas, and Head Coach Sheldon Keefe, along with many other organizational shifts.
Matthews has an impressive resume himself, most notably having worn the alternate captains “A” with the club since 2019.
Toronto Maple Leafs Name Auston Matthews Captain
Although it is uncertain how Matthews will do as captain, it is evident that he is capable of leading on the ice with his play. He is a consistent scorer having eclipsed the 60-goal and 100-point marks in two of the last three seasons. On top of his offensive production, he is one of the better defensive forwards in the game, earning Frank J. Selke votes each of the past five years, even finishing as a top-three finalist this past year.
Many speculated that Matthews would be named captain in 2019, when the Leafs opted to go with marquee free agent signing, John Tavares. The move made sense with Tavares being in his prime, his experience level, resume, and only being a year into his seven-year $11 million AAV deal. He had already been a captain in the NHL for five seasons with his former team, the New York Islanders before leaving the team that drafted him in free agency to join the Leafs in a “coming home” story. He was also the captain for part of one season with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with a very high pedigree to his name.
Since being named captain, Tavares has left a strong legacy behind him. He will likely end his current contract finishing in the top-20 all-time Leafs scoring. His reign as captain will be most remembered for his clutch overtime goal in 2023 that clinched the Leafs’ first playoff series win since 2004. Entering the final year of his current contract, changing leadership now makes sense and signals a passing of the torch moment and helps to further separate this current Brad Treliving regime from the old Kyle Dubas regime.
The captaincy is another honor to cement Matthews’ legacy as the greatest Maple Leafs player of all-time and this move will further cement his NHL legacy as a whole. He is the team’s best player and was the team’s first overall selection in 2016 and has become one of the league’s best players. He is well on track to owning many Leafs franchise records by the time he retires. He currently ranks sixth in all-time points with 649, being only 338 points from tying current leader and former captain, Mats Sundin. He also sits third in goals with 368, a record he could overtake from Sundin as early as next season, only requiring 53 goals to take first place.
Matthews is entering the first year of a four-year contract worth $13.25 million AAV, this will be his ninth NHL season. He already has three Rocket Richard trophies in his trophy case along with a Ted Lindsay Award, and a Hart Trophy. He will undoubtedly look to be the first captain in franchise history to add a Stanley Cup since George Armstrong in 1967.