John Tavares cedes captaincy to Auston Matthews in Maple Leafs sign
NY Post
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.
