Maple Leafs officially strip John Tavares from his captaincy
The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to name Matthews as the team's new captain , according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
The official announcement is expected during a press conference this Wednesday. Reports indicate that current captain John Tavares and General Manager Brad Treliving support the decision to pass the captaincy to Matthews.
Auston Matthews has been with the Maple Leafs for eight seasons since being drafted first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He was named an assistant captain in 2019, the same year Tavares was named captain after joining Toronto as a free agent from the New York Islanders.
Last season, Matthews signed a four-year, $53 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs. Tavares, meanwhile, is under contract until the end of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Matthews is already one of the most accomplished players in the post-Original Six era of Leafs history. He has won the Hart Trophy and is a three-time winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer.
In the past season, Matthews led the league with 69 goals, adding 38 assists for a total of 107 points in 81 games. Over his eight seasons in Toronto, he has scored 368 goals-the most by any player since his NHL debut-along with 281 assists and 649 points in 562 career games.
| POLL | ||
12 AOUT | 136 ANSWERS Maple Leafs officially strip John Tavares from his captaincy Who do you think will be a better captain between John Tavares and Auston Matthews? | ||
| John Tavares | 101 | 74.3 % |
| Auston Matthews | 35 | 25.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
