Leafs strip John Tavares of captaincy: Auston Matthews to be new captain
The Toronto Maple Leafs are naming Auston Matthews as the team's next captain, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
The Leafs are holding a press conference this Wednesday, where the move is expected to be made official by the team.
Dreger reports, along with reporting from Chris Johnston, current Captain John Tavares and General Manager Brad Treliving are in support for the move to give the captaincy to Matthews.
Matthews has spent the past eight seasons with Toronto since being drafted first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Matthews was named an assistant captain in 2019, at the same time as Tavares being named to the captaincy after signing with the Maple Leafs as a free agent from the New York Islanders.
Last season, Matthews signed a four-year, $53M contract extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tavares is signed until the end of the 2024-25 NHL season.
A Hart Trophy winner and three-time winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goalscorer, Matthews is already one of the most accomplished players in Leafs franchise history in the post-Original Six era.
Matthews had a league leading 69 goals this past season, along with 38 assists & 107 points in 81 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his eight seasons in Toronto, Matthews has a career 368 goals, the most goals scored by a player since entering the league, along with 281 assists & 649 points in 562 career NHL games.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the Maple Leafs made the right decision with stripping Tavares of captaincy? | ||
| Yes | 456 | 59.5 % |
| No | 310 | 40.5 % |
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