Auston Matthews to be named Maple Leafs captain

Auston Matthews is set to become the next captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, taking over the team’s top leadership role from teammate John Tavares, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision.

The Leafs called a press conference for 11 a.m. on Wednesday where they will announce the change officially. The leadership shakeup comes after senior members of the organization vowed to consider every potential avenue to alter the team’s dynamic following a seven-game, first-round loss to the Boston Bruins in May. The process included extensive internal discussions where front office members ultimately concluded that it was time for a captaincy change and that Matthews — already the team’s top player — was ready to take the next step in his evolution as a leader, according to sources.

Tavares was involved in those talks and is believed to have supported the handoff to Matthews. He will be in attendance for Wednesday’s press conference.

The announcement comes in the late stages of an offseason that has seen changes behind the bench in Toronto, with Craig Berube replacing the fired Sheldon Keefe as head coach, and a renewed focus on the blue line with the signings of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in free agency.

Whether that will be enough to get a team with one playoff series victory in eight years under its belt over the hump remains to be seen. The Leafs have notably kept a core that includes Matthews, Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly intact.

Matthews will become the 26th captain in franchise history. He has spent all eight of his NHL seasons with the Leafs after being drafted No. 1 in 2016 and is coming off a 69-goal, 107-point campaign – establishing new career bests.

Tavares spent the last five seasons as Toronto’s captain and is entering the final year of his contract. He was bestowed the honor on Oct. 2, 2019 as part of an on-ice ceremony at Scotiabank Arena before the team’s season opener.

The only other Leafs players to wear the “C” in the last 27 years are Dion Phaneuf and Mats Sundin.

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(Photo: Mark Blinch / NHLI via Getty Images)