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After the frenzy surrounding the opening days of free agency wore off, it was reported that the Maple Leafs have contemplated the idea of — with no plans to act on it imminently — removing the captaincy from John Tavares and giving it to Auston Matthews. The report has since been debunked and it hasn’t gained traction. Tavares, until reported otherwise, will be the Maple Leafs’ captain next season and doesn’t deserve to be subject to rampant speculation.
There is a natural invitation to reflect on what the Maple Leafs’ captaincy means. Without further ado, The Leafs Nation’s staff weighs in on the merits of the Maple Leafs’ captaincy
How much should the captaincy matter?
Michael Mazzei: I believe that who the captain of a team is matters in a lot of ways. They wear the brunt of the responsibility, often are one of the team’s best players, and help set the tone for what the coach is trying to implement. Picking the right one is always important because while every player can be a leader not everyone can be a captain.
Jon Steitzer: Changing the captaincy is another “maybe the Leafs are one quick fix away from winning” type ideas that doesn’t hold much merit and outside of the Leafs locker room, I’m not sure how much the captaincy should matter. There is a benefit in a captain who is comfortable speaking publicly about the team but that is secondary to what goes on in the room. And there is something to be said for egos and retention benefits for star players. Some dudes want to get the Stanley Cup presented to them.
Arun Srinivasan: The captaincy is essentially a bridge to history and a formal application of who the foremost leader is, on a team that should have several veteran voices. John Tavares deeply cares about the history of the Maple Leafs, wears the ‘C’ like a badge of honour and his hometown roots certainly mean a ton to him, as we learned six summers ago. He’s a better public speaker than factions of the fan base give him credit for and is a logical choice to keep the role.
Shane Seney: Regardless if it should or shouldn’t, it does matter. The captain is the face of the team and the extra media responsibilities that come with it is something that John Tavares handles very well. Tavares takes a tremendous honour in wearing the ‘C’ and understands the responsibility that comes with the role.
Joseph Zita: Whether you think it matters or not, I lean toward the captaincy meaning a ton, especially if you’re the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, such a historic franchise. Wearing the ‘C’ is an honour, and you’re considered the ultimate leader on your team among other leaders who wear other letters and those who don’t.
Alex Hobson: I think the captaincy matters quite a bit, especially in a market like Toronto. You’re going to be facing the media more than anybody besides the head coach, which means you’ll be scrutinized more when things aren’t going well. That said, your legacy will be looked back on fondly if you manage to succeed in the market. In the end, we can debate how much it matters as fans, but the only thing that truly matters is how the players feel about whoever has the C.
Bennett Jull: It does matter, especially in an organization with such incredible history. The captain helps set the precedent, and provides players (especially younger ones) with a role model, and someone they can rely on during arduous times. When you look at the captains of teams that have won recently, they are all players that show up when it really matters. Crosby, Ovechkin, Pietrangelo, Stamkos Landeskog, Barkov, Stamkos, Stone, to name a few.
What is the impact of potentially taking it away from Tavares?
Mazzei: John Tavares is the type of captain who is more soft spoken and leads by example rather than through his words. While he does love the city and organization, he probably would not react well to the news of being stripped of his captaincy if the Leafs don’t approach him properly. I would like to think he can graciously pass on his title to someone else but because I don’t know him personally it is hard to say with absolute certainty. We also can’t forget about how the players may feel about the news because it could scream chaos within the organization and some may not go over well with some behind closed doors that may be pro-Tavares as captain. There are ripple effects that need to be considered when it comes to making a change like this.
Steitzer: John Tavares reminds me of Mats Sundin as a captain. He’s a pretty quiet guy or at least not as vocal as the Toronto media would like. He’s a calming presence rather than wearing his heart on his sleeve and by all accounts he’s been a good by example leader when it comes to fitness and nutrition, has opened his home to rookies, hosts the players’ events, has an active foundation in the city, and genuinely wants to be a Leaf. The guy is good at his role and if taking the captaincy away from him is an issue, it’s worth rethinking.
That said, if there was a time to be more aggressive about taking the captaincy back it is when his contract is up and there is a new coach behind the bench. It also establishes for the Leafs that they have lower expectations of Tavares’ role and might help in contract negotiations too.
Srinivasan: It would just needlessly aggravate a player who has lived up to the terms of one of the biggest free agency acquisitions in franchise history. Tavares has one year left on his contract and it’s clear he wants to finish his career with the Maple Leafs. It’s not the exact same circumstance, especially since he never left before and won two Cups, but we just saw how ugly the Lightning’s handling of Steven Stamkos devolved into. It would just feel like a performative action for a team that needs to make tangible, major strides on the ice.
Seney: There are impacts for sure, as those early days could be awkward. It’s not something the team can’t get over though and frankly, Tavares likely realizes while he’s a major part of the Maple Leafs, he’s not the one driving the bus. The fan base will make a huge deal about it but the players won’t. Just because Tavares might not be captain, doesn’t mean he won’t be a vocal leader for the group on and off the ice.
Zita: Hypothetically speaking, if Toronto were to strip John Tavares of his captaincy heading into the 2024-25 season, I think it would be the biggest story in the NHL. I’m not trying to over-exaggerate, but it’s just true, and I don’t think that’s the right thing to do in a year where Craig Berube is entering his first season as head coach, and both John Tavares and Mitch Marner are entering their final years, both likely hoping to get extensions done at some point. Tavares has been captain of his hometown team for five full seasons now and is on track to play his sixth season, with the ‘C’ on his jersey in his seventh season with the organization.
Stripping him of the ‘C’ ahead of his last year on his current contract seems like the wrong thing to do, and it would not only be the biggest story of the NHL, but the reaction inside the locker room could be negative. Throughout his tenure as captain, the narrative that he doesn’t seem to care has been brought up, given his laid-back personality. He’s a calming presence and is a quiet guy, but no one truly knows what he is like when it’s just him and his teammates.
Hobson: I think at this point, it doesn’t make much sense to take the captaincy away from Tavares. It feels like there’s an unspoken sentiment in the organization that once Tavares’ contract expires, he’ll pass the torch to Auston Matthews. Floating the idea of stripping him now makes no sense, and seems like it would cause an unnecessary rift with Tavares, especially if not approached properly. For all the (valid) gripes people have about Tavares’ contract, he’s probably more likely than anybody to take a heavy hometown discount to stay in Toronto, and the team is still better with him on the team. I’d be going forward business as usual, and having that conversation next season.
Jull: It would certainly give the dressing room a slightly different ‘feel’. Perhaps it would enable the new captain to have more of a voice, and enable John Tavares to focus less on leading and more on his game. At some point John Tavares will relinquish his captaincy, we just don’t know when. If he feels that this is an appropriate time, it’s absolutely worth doing. Otherwise, you could aggravate a player that (hopefully) could be interested in signing a team friendly deal next summer, and someone that has rode the wave of scrutiny and performed admirably over his stint with the Leafs.
Who is your choice for Leafs’ captain?
Mazzei: If the Leafs decide to make a change, Auston Matthews is the obvious pick. He was slated to become the captain in 2019 before the incident where he mooned a female security officer in Arizona thwarted his chances. I would like to believe he has grown and learned from his mistakes since then and he is now more deserving of it. Matthews should have no problems handing the responsibilities that come with it and I would like to think his leadership style would be a much better fit for the Leafs than what Tavares has done. If not Matthews, Morgan Rielly is my other choice
Steitzer: Morgan Rielly is the natural choice for captain if the Leafs were to make a change. He is a Maple Leafs lifer without a doubt, has comfort with the media, does the right things in the room, and has that balance of calming/inspiring that is the unique combination you want from a leader. He reads the room and does the right thing. The case against him seems to be “I don’t like offensive defencemen.
Morgan Rielly feels like the right choice, but in reality if a change is made it will be Auston Matthews who gets named the next captain of the Maple Leafs. It’s a sales pitch for the next time free agency hits and wanting Auston Matthews’ legacy to be entirely a Leafs one. I don’t doubt that Matthews can become that mouthpiece for the Leafs and he’s got the ability to put the team on his back, unlike any other player on the roster, his votes of confidence for players like Pontus Holmberg, Bobby McMann, and Joseph Woll have been meaningful. Matthews can handle the role, especially with players like Rielly and Tavares at his side. Whether it is now or a year from now, it seems like the way Toronto will eventually go.
Srinivasan: Tavares, until stated otherwise. If they’re seriously considering giving the captaincy to another player, Morgan Rielly has embodied all the qualities of a captain, he’s the best public speaker on the team and is always accountable. But quite obviously, if they’re going to take the captaincy away from Tavares, Auston Matthews, the team’s perpetual MVP candidate, is the only other real choice.
Seney: The way Auston Matthews interacts with the media has me thinking Morgan Rielly may be the right pick here. He’s under contract long-term and has been through the wringer in Toronto. Matthews tends to get frustrated with some of the questions being asked to him, rightly or wrongly, and it would be interesting to see how he’d handle the scrutiny on a regular basis. Rielly tends to handle the media a little bit better. Either Rielly or Matthews make sense on various levels.
Zita: Back in 2019, when the team made their decision on who they were going to name captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews were two candidates along with Tavares, and to this day, those two remain prime options for me. If I had to pick someone other than Tavares, I’d go with Matthews, but I could easily be convinced of Morgan Rielly. Those two players are not only going to be Maple Leafs for a long time, but they are both captain material, in my opinion. The way they carry themselves on and off the ice, handle the media in Toronto, involve themselves in the community, et cetera, I don’t think there are two better options than those two. But with what Matthews has been doing so far as a Maple Leaf and already looked upon as arguably the greatest Leaf of all time, giving him the ‘C’ would make a ton of sense.
Hobson: I alluded to it already, but it’s Auston Matthews and nobody else. Morgan Rielly would be a great call and definitely fits the bill, but in that same breath, it goes back to the first point. Would Rielly be upset if it wasn’t handed to him? Would his teammates be? Would they look at him any differently? In my opinion, no. Lack of playoff success aside, Matthews is the face of the franchise and the most talented player to ever put on the jersey. Giving him the C would probably help his odds of re-signing here once his contract is up, and feels like it would be a great way to tell him that it’s his team moving forward.
Jull: Has to be No. 34. He’s their best player, and the face of the franchise. I’d be surprised if anyone thinks otherwise
