Welcome to another edition of NHL rumours. Toronto has made many moves this offseason, but there are rumours regarding captain, John Tavares. According to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, the Maple Leafs may be contemplating a captaincy change.
Could There Be a New Captain in Toronto?
Tavares served as captain for the Maple Leafs for five seasons now. He was named the 25th captain in Leafs history ahead of the 2019-20 season. That was just one season after he signed a $77M contract over seven years. Alongside him, serving as alternate captains are Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Retired NHLer and former Maple Leaf, Nick Kypreos believes that there is some traction on the idea that the Maple Leafs could strip him of his captaincy.
“From what I’m hearing, the Leafs are contemplating taking the captaincy away from him and giving it to Auston. They will talk about it,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it’s real.”
Matthews has never worn the ‘C’ in his professional career, and this would make him the 26th captain in franchise history. He would also be the first NHL captain of Latino descent, as he identifies as having a Mexican background, based on his mother’s side of the family. This rumour isn’t entirely ridiculous as fans have suggested before that Matthews should replace Tavares as captain. Matthews has a much more commanding style of play on the ice, as he is a superstar. There have also been videos behind the scenes that reveal Matthews’ leadership abilities in the locker room which have won fans over.
However, if this Tavares captaincy rumour were to become true, one could only wonder how the team’s morale would be affected. The 33-year-old is a well-respected player in the league and something like stripping his captaincy could come off as rude or disrespectful. Teams don’t typically change captains just for the sake of shaking things up. Usually that would only happen if a player retires or moves on to another team. A decision as such isn’t very common and would spark a sea of media attention.
Tavares’ Future in Toronto
Drafted No. 1 overall by the Islanders in 2009, Tavares is heading into his final year on his current contract with the Leafs. He’s scored 419 points in 440 games for the Buds and has been a great second-line centre for them. There have been quiet rumours about General Manager Brad Treliving shopping Tavares. However, Tavares carries a full no-move clause in his contract, and he earns much more than what he’s worth. Therefore, it’s not very likely for him to be traded in the last year of his deal.
Many wonder if the captain and the Maple Leafs will agree on an extension for next season. It’s a given that the Mississauga-native should be taking significantly less than what he currently makes, but can both parties agree on the term and value? On top of that, the GM still has to put some attention on Marner and his expiring deal as well. Regardless, the current captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to block out the noise and give it his all what will be a contract year.
Main photo credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
