TORONTO — Auston Matthews first wore a sweater with the Toronto Maple Leafs logo on the chest and a “C” sewn below the left shoulder five years ago.
During the 2019 All-Star weekend in San Jose, fans named the game’s most dangerous shooter captain of his division.
Watching the festivities from a distance, an eight-year-old hockey fan in Toronto turned to his father and asked, “That ‘C’ looks pretty good on Matthews, eh, Dad?”
The concept has been swirling around Hogtown for years, this eventual coronation of the man on his way to GLOAT (Greatest Leaf of All-Time) status as the dressing room’s official leader.
And on Wednesday morning at Real Sports Bar & Grill, at a staged letter-passing ceremony just next to a soon-to-be-busy sports retail business, the 26-year-old Matthews will be named the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 26th captain, replacing John Tavares.
The fact that the best player on the squad is earning the award should not come as a surprise.
Matthews has previously led three NHL All-Star teams and was one of the first players picked to Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off squad. He will almost certainly be a candidate to represent his country in Milan. (In contrast, despite having captained Canada at the 2024 World Championships, the 33-year-old Tavares will face stiff competition for a spot on the national roster.)
Matthews already owns Hart, Ted Lindsay, and three Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies on his mantle. He’ll enter 2024-25 fresh off a Selke finalist nod, having scored more goals (69) than anyone since his birth.
He’ll have the biggest cap charge of any NHL player this season ($13.25 million) when he begins his renewed four-year contract as the Maple Leafs’ first American captain.
Will the Maple Leafs’ captain switch make a difference?
Matthews has grown as a player and as a person since the Leafs’ captain, the stable and safe Tavares, was named at the start of the 2019-20 season.
The timing of Toronto’s “C” move is more intriguing, given that Tavares still has one season left on his contract and has long expressed his joy in the honour and his intention to stay put.
This will only work if Tavares is on board.
He is. He will also be present for the photo opportunity on Wednesday.
We’re confident Tavares will remain classy and gracious, continuing to lead by quiet example. Heck, he calls Matthews “Papi” on a regular basis and has long regarded the younger center as the club’s most valuable player.
But just because it wasn’t Tavares’ idea doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
“Everything’s on the table. We will discuss everything,” Leafs president Brendan Shanahan stated in May, after the Tavares-led Leafs failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs.
Shanahan was asked if he would contact Tavares about waiving his no-move clause given that it is clear that his 65-point production does not match his $11-million cap tag.
Matthews taking over the captaincy is shocking, but it has been a long time coming.
The Maple Leafs are at a crossroads with the 81st-highest scorer in NHL history, and Tavares’ departure from captaincy serves as a reminder that this is no longer his team.
Matthews’ new letter also provides a symbolic refresh to an even more expensive Core Four, which will now cost $46.65 million against the budget, with rises for Matthews and William Nylander taking effect.
Is it really that important in the larger picture?
Not really.
Captaincy transitions are uncommon but not unheard of.
The Los Angeles Kings stole Dustin Brown’s “C” and gave it to the younger and more deserving Anze Kopitar, despite the switch came after two parades.
Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, Matthews’ mentor-friends, had the “C” removed from their uniforms in San Jose and will continue to be Sharks legends.
And the man Matthews jumped for the Leafs’ goal record, Rick Vaive, was stripped of his captaincy and dealt with back in the prickly Harold Ballard days.
Surely, captaincy is important to alpha canines like the stable Tavares and the edgier Matthews, and we’re intrigued to see whether the latter expresses himself more vocally.
However, beyond from selling another batch of 34 duplicate sweaters—this time with more flair!—the significance of Toronto’s leadership amendment is primarily symbolic.
Is it distracting from the fact that Shanahan’s Maple Leafs are still on course to return the same core that has consistently failed to make an impact in the playoffs?
That they might have two hungry starting goalies, or two hungry backup goalies?
That their major roster changes this summer included no trades and the addition of two good defensemen, Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who are 34 and 33, respectively?
No.
