The Toronto Maple Leafs are making a drastic change ahead of the 2024-25 season. John Tavares, entering the final year of the seven-year contract he signed back in the 2018 offseason, will not serve as the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.
Instead, goal-scoring phenom Auston Matthews is set to become the 26th captain in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history. The official press conference is set for Wednesday, August 14th at 11 am Eastern.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger was the first to break the news that the Maple Leafs, citing that Tavares supports the change and there has been an evolution with Matthews as a leader.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially passed the captaincy from the 2009 first-overall draft selection to the 2016 first-overall draft selection. In addition to this first-overall to first-overall stat, this is the first American captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the second non-Canadian captain after Sweden’s Mats Sundin dawned the ‘C’ from 1997 to 2008.
Since Matthews’ strong four-goal debut back on October 12th, 2016, he’s put the league on notice. He hasn’t slowed down either as he’s easily cemented himself as a top-five player throughout his first eight seasons in the NHL. In his 562 career NHL games, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s racked up an impressive 649 points (368G, 281A) which include six 40-goal seasons, two 60-goal seasons, and two 100-point seasons to date.
Matthews has a four-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $13.25 million per season which begins in the 2024-25 season. He has worn an alternate captaincy crest for the previous five seasons and has been an integral piece of the Leafs’ leadership group.
Matthews is a three-time Lady Byng Trophy finalist, two-time finalist and one-time winner of the Hart Trophy, two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy, and a one-time Selke Trophy finalist. Matthews turns 27 in September and will look to add to his NHL trophy case in the 2024-25 season as the new captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tavares turns 34 in September, just a few days apart from Matthews. He is more decorated on the international scene for Team Canada rather than the NHL scene. In Tavares’ 1109 career NHL games, he’s racked up an impressive 1040 points (456G, 584A) both with the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Tavares spent two years with an alternate captaincy crest on his jersey with the New York Islanders before dawning the captaincy for five years before his signing in Toronto. He was an alternate captain in his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before officially being named captain on October 2nd, 2019.
The Leafs prepare for the 2024-25 season as they begin on the road on October 9th, 2024, when they face the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal. They have their home opener on Saturday, October 12th, 2024, when they welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Toronto.
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