Photo Credit: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0,via Wikimedia Commons
Toronto Maple Leafs Need A New Captain
John Tavares has been a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs since July 1st, 2018 after signing on as a free agent, and leader of the team since October 3rd, 2019 when he was named team captain.
At the time the choice to name Tavares captain seemed appropriate given the Toronto Maple Leafs other star centre, Auston Matthews, was embroiled in controversy.
Matthews was in trouble for mooning a female security guard while intoxicated with a group of friends one evening, resulting in a charge of disorderly conduct, which he then attempted to hide from Maple Leafs brass until it was uncovered and reported on by the press.
The scandal appeared to sway Leafs management to name the squeaky clean John Tavares as the 25th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of Matthews, who was the up and coming future face of the franchise.
Tavares' Future With Leafs Uncertain
When he signed with Toronto, Tavares was given a seven year deal, which brings him to the end of the 2024/25 season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs face a cap crunch crisis, and there are doubts as to whether the team will be able to retain Tavares should his next contract demands be too high.
Some observers feel Tavares shouldn't have been signed in the first place.
There are other candidates on the team that could fill the role, and the Leafs will soon need to make a decision on whether to replace Tavares once his contract expires, and who that person should be.
The Leafs Next Captain
The most obvious choice would be two time Rocket Richard trophy winner and current MVP of the league, Auston Matthews, who has taken the role of first line centre all to his own after dominating the NHL since being drafted first overall in 2016.
The next candidate, and my personal favourite, would be the team's number one defenseman, Morgan Rielly, the longest serving member of the Toronto Maple Leafs who has earned the role of captain on both merit and entitlement.
Other than Rielly and Matthews the team's third alternate captain, Mitch Marner, would be the next best choice, and if Matthews leaves to free agency and Marner is still on the team, he would be looking to take on a bigger leadership role.
John Tavares has been a standout captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was the right choice for the job at the time.
With his future uncertain, however, fans can at least take comfort in knowing the team has three other candidates that could assume the mantle when, not if, the time comes to part ways with John Tavares.
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