Following yet another Game 7 loss, the Toronto Maple Leafs preached change this summer, and to an extent, they seem to be following through on it.
Sort of.
Frankly, I wasn’t expecting a captaincy change period, so indisputably, I was utterly shocked reading the news on Monday night.
On Wednesday morning, John Tavares, who’s served as Toronto’s captain since October 2019, will officially pass the baton to Auston Matthews.
For all intents and purposes, the move was long overdue. In fact, it should’ve happened last summer.
At any rate, it symbolizes movement and a positive step in the right direction for a franchise that’s been utterly tone deaf over the past decade. Honestly, at this point, it would be very difficult to find a Leafs fan who doesn’t support the decision to strip Tavares of the “C” and hand it over to Matthews. The writing’s been on the wall for a while now. We all could see it, but unfortunately, it took the organization a bit longer to act on it.
Even though there’s more to being the leader of a team than just producing on the ice, there’s no question that Matthews, 26, is ready for this promotion. He’s the present, and he’s the future. He will wear it all now.
Even though it’s unlikely that we’ll ever get the full scope of everything that happened behind the scenes to get to this decision, Tavares, who’s essentially been the captain of his team for nearly the past 20 years, deserves a lot of credit and respect for the way he’s handled everything. He’s a consummate pro. He always has been. If there’s someone who can proactively deal with something like this, it’s probably him. Nothing bothers the guy —at least not publicly.
And so, the Auston Matthews era will begin in earnest. Undoubtedly, in this new role, there will be heightened responsibilities. In essence, he will be the public voice of the team —through the good times and the bad.
Dear Auston, no more learning lessons, I beg you.
