Auston Matthews will be the new captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs next year.
The move has been heavily speculated this offseason, as the team tries to move in to a new era, and with current captain John Tavares heading in to the last year of his contract.
Tavares will lose the “C”, but is reportedly fully supportive of the change and has been helping Brad Treliving through the process.
What it means for Matthews
For Matthews, this adds extra responsibility and pressure to help the team get over the hump. He’s proven he can do it in the regular season, but now it’s his job as a leader to help the team during the postseason.
With any sort of playoff success, and a bit longer in blue and white, Matthews will become the greatest Leaf of all time. His production is unmatched, and he cherishes the opportunity to be a pillar of one of the most storied franchises in the league.
A change in attitude?
Next offseason is going to be defining for the organization. Tavares and Mitch Marner will be free agents unless extended, and Treliving will have the opportunity to completely reshape the roster. But Matthews is here for the long haul, and is now the definitive face of the franchise.
This type of team-friendly move supports the idea Tavares may be willing to take a hefty hometown discount on his next deal, giving the organization much needed cap flexibility and hopefully starting a “team first” attitude from the rest of the roster.
The contract situations have never been very team-friendly, but maybe this is the beginning of a new era for the Leafs.
Either way, the 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs will likely become the greatest player to ever put on the jersey.
Now, Matthews needs to lead this team to postseason success.
