It can be difficult to tell the story of the captains’ change. The transition usually happens when a player contracts with a new team during free agency, retires, or is traded.
Sometimes, though, it’s because of other circumstances, such as when the Minnesota Wild switched captain every month or when Rod Brind’Amour was all but forced to pass the reins to Eric Staal in 2010.
On Monday, there were rumors that John Tavares might back Auston Matthews to take over as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. A official announcement of the decision was made at a news conference on Wednesday, where the captains passed the torch to one another.
Though there has been much conjecture regarding the timing of the decision, Tavares has handled the circumstance with the poise that has characterized his whole career.
With Auston Matthews as captain, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expecting greater things.
Auston Matthews has represented the Toronto Maple Leafs as their face since being selected first overall in the 2016 draft. Even if the team has other stars, when you think of Toronto, Matthews is the first person that comes to mind.
With six seasons of 40 goals or more and two of 60 goals or more in the past three years, his name has become synonymous with prolific goal scoring in the last eight years. Just 52 goals separate Matthews from Mats Sundin for the most in franchise history.
Even though Matthews has an amazing background that includes three Rocket Richard awards and a Hart Trophy, the true test will be whether this choice pays off in the postseason. With just one postseason series victory in the previous 20 years, Toronto’s postseason losing tendencies are widely known.
One way to criticize Toronto’s “Core 4” is that they don’t work best at night. The other three vanish when one of them gets heated. Maybe a fresh voice at the front can make a difference.
As of this season, Auston Matthews has agreed to a four-year deal with Toronto. For John Tavares, the same cannot yet be stated.
The departing captain is in the final year of his contract as of the 2024–25 season; an extension is not expected. Although Tavares is adamant about keeping any conversations confidential, he has made it clear that he hopes to stay with the Maple Leafs past the current campaign.
Tavares, who turns 34 in September, still has a lot of hockey left in him. After posting a 65-point season the previous season, he has consistently scored between 60 and 70 points (and occasionally much more) throughout his career. But one has to consider if this is a scenario they wish to be in.
There would be many teams interested in signing him if he were to become a free agent in the upcoming summer, particularly those that believe they have a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
Whether this was the best course of action for Matthews, Tavares, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to wait and be seen. Matthews will be under pressure to deliver a strong individual performance. He now has additional strain as the captain of one of the NHL’s most divisive teams.
Even before the season begins, both players will be subjected to needless levels of scrutiny for everything they do.
There will be those who quickly label Toronto’s postseason performance as a failure if they can’t turn around. The next chapter will start when Toronto takes the ice against the Montreal Canadiens on October 9.
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