Ex-Leafs captain Rick Vaive hints at John Tavares' true feelings about passing captaincy to Auston Matthews

Just under two weeks ago, the Maple Leafs shocked the hockey world when they announced that John Tavares would no longer be captain of the Leafs, and that he would be passing the "C" along to franchise cornerstone Auston Matthews ahead of the 2024-25 season.

While it was always expected that Matthews was going to be the next captain of the Maple Leafs, the timing was never known. The belief was that as long as Tavares was still with the club, he would retain his rights as the team's captain - as is usually the case around the NHL as well. When news broke out earlier this month that he would be relinquishing the captaincy over to Matthews, it shocked many and rightfully so.

Former Maple Leafs legend, Rick Vaive, joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on their Leafs Nation podcast "Leafs Morning Take" this week and discussed a variety of topics, including the idea that Tavares might not have been as on board with the move as many originally claimed. Vaive does have a close relationship with Tavares so his insight is better than most:

Vaive brings up a very good point in that Tavares' future standing with the club probably had a lot to do with the decision. As we enter the 2024-25 season, Tavares will be playing on an expiring contract and handing off the captaincy one year earlier could also be seen as a strategic move for both sides to close the gap on a potential contract extension. The Leafs get a new captain and Tavares gets to come back on a new contract with a reduced rate and have the opportunity to retire as a Leaf. Seems like a win-win.

Source: Leafs Morning Take
Rick Vaive Dishes On Auston Matthews Replacing John Tavares As Team Captain