The Toronto Maple Leafs have found the next captain of their storied franchise in star centre, John Tavares. After many rumours, Tavares was named before the game tonight.
John Tavares Captain for Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs Captaincy History
Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock announced on October 1st that the team would have a captain soon. It should be announced by the season opener where Toronto will face the Ottawa Senators. Now we know they have selected John Tavares.
The last player to wear the C for Toronto was defenceman Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf held that position with the team for six seasons. Since he left the team in 2016, they have played without a captain. Instead, the team had Patrick Marleau, Morgan Rielly, and John Tavares as alternate captains.
Tavares is not new to being a team leader. Captains are chosen by proving to the front office you are a leader to your team. He has proven that he can be a player that his teammates can go to. He is vocal in the locker room.
What There is to Know About the New Captain
Tavares is an unsurprising selection as the new captain for Toronto. He was the captain of the New York Islanders for five years before heading to the Maple Leafs in free agency. He is also only 42 points shy of being a point per game player over the course of his 10 year NHL career. It is not all good things about Tavares being named captain, however. He spent most of his career in New York and I would like to see him spend another year with Toronto in order to mesh with his teammates and develop stronger team chemistry.
Tavares is clearly an impact player for the Maple Leafs. It comes as no surprise that they would not wait any longer to decide on a captain. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is an important part of this team and clearly will be for a long time.
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