‘The Maple Leafs Had Designs On Making (Auston) Matthews The Captain In 2019’: How an Off-Ice Incident in Scottsdale Reportedly Delayed His Captaincy Until 2024
Matthews is expected to be named the 26th captain in franchise history at a press conference on Wednesday.
After reports surfaced Monday night that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be making a captaincy change, with cornerstone forward Auston Matthews taking over the top leadership role from John Tavares, the team announced a news conference for 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Matthews is expected to be named the 26th captain in franchise history, bringing an end to Tavares' five-year tenure in the role.
Though many believed it was only a matter of time before the transition was made, all eyes are on Matthews as he prepares to assume the role many believed was destined for him years ago.
According to the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby, the Leafs initially planned to name Matthews captain in 2019, just as he was emerging as the team’s undisputed star. However, those plans were abruptly shelved following an off-ice incident that cast a shadow over the young center’s reputation at the time.
“The Leafs had designs on making Matthews the captain in 2019, but a brush with the law in an off-season, off-ice incident in his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz., resulted in Tavares getting the ‘C’ in his second year as a Leaf,” Hornby wrote on Monday.
Ahead of the 2019-20 season, news broke during training camp that Matthews faced a disorderly conduct charge from an incident that occurred in May in his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz., that was later dismissed.
In fact, Matthews jerseys appeared to be for sale with the ‘C’ on it at Winners, as seen on Nick Barden’s ‘X’ page back in November of 2020, suggesting the team had prepared jerseys for an announcement that ultimately never happened.
Although the charges were dropped, Leafs management was forced to reconsider their decision to hand the captaincy to Matthews at that time. Instead, the ‘C’ was given to John Tavares, the veteran forward who had just completed his first season with the Leafs after signing a blockbuster seven-year, $77 million free-agent deal the previous summer.
Over the next five years, Matthews gained more experience both on and off the ice, becoming one of the league’s most dominant players and a prominent face of the NHL. Additionally, Matthews has worn the ‘A’ on his jersey ever since the 33-year-old was named captain, helping to smooth the transition under Tavares’ guidance.
Now, as the Leafs look to turn the page and officially begin a new chapter, it appears that both parties are ready to make the transition. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, discussions about a possible change in captaincy began after the club’s first-round playoff series loss to the Boston Bruins. As those conversations progressed, Tavares was supportive of the decision to pass the captaincy off to Matthews.
“It's a conversation that started, I think in a serious manner, as quickly as when the team's season ended in May with that loss to Boston in the first round. It's my understanding that John Tavares, when he had his exit meeting a couple days after that Game 7 loss with team management, it was brought up that this was at least a possibility," Johnston reported during TSN's Sportscentre on Monday evening.
"And those conversations continued to a point where John Tavares was comfortable handing it off to Auston Matthews, and I think from the Leafs' organizational perspective, they've been thinking all along that this could be where they get eventually.”
Matthews is set to begin the first season of a four-year, $53 million contract with an average annual value of $13.5 million, the highest among players in the NHL. Heading into the 2024-25 season, he is coming off a career-high 69-goal season.
On Wednesday, Matthews will become the second non-Canadian and the first American-born captain in the franchise's history.
Related
News from THN.com