Former Islanders captain John Tavares is losing his “C” in Toronto amid a leadership shakeup after getting bounced from the playoffs in devastating fashion at the hands of the Bruins in seven games in the first round.
Tavares, who left Long Island during the 2018 NHL offseason for his hometown Maple Leafs, will hand over the captaincy to star forward Auston Matthews, The Athletic reported.
Tavares had been the Leafs’ captain for five seasons after being named the club’s 25th during a ceremony in October 2019, in just his second season with the team.
The decision to make the change came after “extensive internal discussions” and was made by senior front office members to hand over the captaincy to the franchise’s star player.
Tavares was involved in the discussions, according to the report, and he supported the decision.
The Maple Leafs are expected to make the announcement during a press conference on Wednesday.
During his tenure as captain, the Maple Leafs advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once – in 2023 when they toppled the Lightning in six games – despite high expectations from the offensively talented squad.
Matthews has evolved into one of the best young players in the NHL and an ascension to captaincy makes all the sense in the world for the 26-year-old, especially with Tavares entering the final year of his contract with the Leafs.
Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, scored 69 goals and 107 points both of which were career bests.
Tavares has been a Maple Leaf since he signed with the club in the summer of 2018 as a free agent after spurning the Islanders, who drafted him as the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 and named him the team’s captain in 2013.
He spent his first nine seasons in the NHL with the Isles.
