After 5 season with John Tavares as captain, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and reportedly Tavares himself have decided it is time for Auston Matthews to don the "C" for the Maple Leafs.
Although it is always awkward to bring up the subject of taking away that honour from a player, especially in this case where Tavares grew up having dreaming about playing for the Leafs when he was a child growing up in Toronto.
However, to his credit, he and the team acknowledged the correct thing, Auston Matthews is ready, and Auston Matthews should be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This will be a season full of expectations in Toronto and if the team suffers another playoff failure, we believe this time there will be changes. With such an important year on deck, it makes sense that the Leafs have decided with the possibility of huge changes happening before the 2025-26 season, having Matthews enter his second year as captain would give the franchise some sense of stability going into the future.
Along with Mitch Marner headed With Tavares' contract set to expire next year, he and the team have already begun talks on an extension at a lower cost than his current 11 million dollar salary but I am sure one thing the Leafs had to at least think about was do they want to bring back Tavares when they wanted Matthews to wear "C".
Now with Matthews as the team's leader, those negotiations can simply be focused on the correct salary and not the politics that would have gone into that next deal with Tavares.
Matthews, now firmly set in stone as the leader in Toronto, will look to build his legacy as possibly the greatest player in the history of the franchise.
He is a three-time Rocket Richard winner as the league's top goal scorer, and now entering his ninth NHL season, he will face his toughest challenge yet as the captain of the NHL's most scrutinized franchise.
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