Off-ice incident in 2019 reportedly delayed the Auston Matthews captaincy
An incident involving Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews in 2019 was the reason he wasn't made captain, and the role was instead given to John Tavares.
After reports emerged Monday night about a captaincy change for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced a news conference scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday. It's expected that Auston Matthews will be named the 26th captain in franchise history, taking over from John Tavares.
Matthews' appointment would end Tavares' five-year tenure as captain. Many anticipated this transition, believing it was only a matter of time before Matthews, the team's cornerstone forward, assumed the role.
According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Leafs originally planned to name Matthews captain in 2019 when he was solidifying his status as the team's star player. However, those plans were halted due to an off-ice incident in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Matthews faced a disorderly conduct charge, which was later dismissed. As a result, the captaincy was instead given to Tavares, who had just completed his first season with the Leafs.
Despite the incident, Matthews continued to grow as a player, becoming one of the NHL's most dominant figures and wearing the alternate captain's "A" under Tavares' leadership. After the Leafs' first-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins last season, discussions about a captaincy change began, with Tavares reportedly supporting the decision to pass the role to Matthews.
Matthews is entering the first season of a four-year, $53 million contract, with the highest annual salary in the NHL at $13.5 million. Following a career-high 69-goal season, Matthews will become the second non-Canadian and the first American-born captain in Maple Leafs history.
Source:Leafslatest on X
Source: HockeyDBAuston Matthews Stats
| POLL | ||
13 AOUT | 131 ANSWERS Off-ice incident in 2019 reportedly delayed the Auston Matthews captaincy Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs should have named Auston Matthews captain in 2019 regardless of the off-ice incident? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 34.4 % |
| No | 86 | 65.6 % |
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