Once again, the Toronto Maple Leafs have fallen short of expectations. This time around, there was no “We need to try again” speech. The Maple Leafs’ front office now knows something is not working and has finally decided to do something about it. Have they settled on the right decision though? Was making Sheldon Keefe walk the plank the right move? Can Craig Berube make the current players tougher, grittier, and playoff-ready? Can Auston Matthews lead his men into battle?
While John Tavares wears the “C” in Toronto and has a contract with an $11 million cap hit, is he the true Maple Leafs’ leader? Should he still be Toronto’s captain? Frankly, I’m not entirely sure he should be.
The Captain’s Role
A captain is an important player on a team. Not only does he liaise with the referees and the coaches, but he’s the model to follow, the player who leads and motivates his teammates. He doesn’t have to be yelling his head off all the time, he can lead by example or simply do the little things that matter so much.
When Tavares signed his seven-year contract with the Maple Leafs, he realized a boyhood dream. In his dream, he didn’t wear the captain’s “C”, but before the 2019-20 season, he was appointed as such. Many thought the role that had been vacant for three and a half years was earmarked for Matthews, but the powers that be preferred giving the role to Tavares who had already served as the New York Islanders’ captain for five years.
Perhaps the fact that Matthews had an issue off the ice in May 2019 in Arizona during the offseason might have played a part in the nomination. We’ll never know with absolute certainty, but there’s been plenty of water under the bridge since that charge for disorderly conduct occurred.
What Made Tavares a Good Captain
Of course, the fact Tavares had been in the role for five years with the Islanders played a part in the decision, but he was also marketable as the Toronto-born player who wanted nothing more than to play for the team he rooted for as a kid. He was also a picture of stability at 29 years old, married with a new baby to care for. Quite the opposite of someone who was facing a disorderly conduct charge.
He’s also the kind of player who never complains, puts his head down, and gets on with it. He can work tirelessly towards his objective with a contagious dedication. Having been tagged as the big-name free agent of the 2018 offseason, the big fish everyone wanted to land, he came to the Maple Leafs with a bit of an aura, a shine normally reserved for saviours, and that’s how many Toronto fans saw him. This allowed management to be certain fans would have no issue with Tavares receiving the “C” they believed should be the “golden boy’s” Matthews.
Time for a Change?
Time waits for no man, and like everyone else, Tavares is getting older. Now at 34, in the last year of his contract, the captain is not as efficient as he once was. His offensive production has slowed down a bit and he doesn’t produce what you’d expect from a player with an $11 million price tag.
Now that there are talks of splitting the Core Four, you hear Tavares’ name mentioned here and there in trade rumours. He also features in articles analyzing the Maple Leafs’ most recent failure repeatedly.
Related: Maple Leafs: 3 Probable Trade Destinations for John Tavares
At the postseason press conference, president and alternate governor, Brendan Shanahan, said; “Everything is on the table.” If everything is indeed on the table and management intends to give a new direction to this team, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to turn another page of the Core Four’s story by naming a brand-new captain. Who better than Matthews whose name is the first one you think of when you hear Maple Leafs?
