John Tavares Steps Down as Maple Leafs Captain

• John Tavares is relinquishing his captaincy with the Toronto Maple Leafs after five seasons, amid a leadership shakeup following a disappointing first-round playoff exit against the Boston Bruins.
• Auston Matthews, the Leafs’ star forward, will take over as the team’s new captain, a decision made by senior management after extensive internal discussions.
• Tavares, who signed with the Maple Leafs in 2018 after nine seasons with the New York Islanders, supported the decision and was involved in the discussions.
• Under Tavares’ captaincy, the Maple Leafs advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once, despite high expectations, while Matthews has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier young talents.

John Tavares is stepping down as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs after five seasons, handing over the “C” to star forward Auston Matthews, according to a report from The Athletic.

The decision comes in the wake of the Maple Leafs’ devastating first-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins in seven games, a defeat that has prompted a leadership shakeup within the organization.

Tavares, who left the New York Islanders to join his hometown Maple Leafs in the summer of 2018, was named the 25th captain in franchise history during a ceremony in October 2019, just his second season with the team.

However, despite Tavares’ leadership, the Maple Leafs have struggled to make deep playoff runs, advancing past the first round only once during his tenure – in 2023, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.

This lack of postseason success, coupled with the team’s high expectations due to its offensive talent, has led to extensive internal discussions among senior management about the direction of the team’s leadership.

As a result of these discussions, the decision has been made to hand over the captaincy to Matthews, the Maple Leafs’ star forward and the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Matthews, who is coming off a career-best season with 69 goals and 107 points, has emerged as one of the league’s premier young talents and is poised to lead the Maple Leafs into the future.

Tavares, who was involved in the discussions and supports the decision, will enter the final year of his contract with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25.

His departure from the Islanders in 2018, where he had been the team’s captain since 2013, was a controversial move at the time, but he has since become a key figure in the Maple Leafs’ lineup, scoring 47 goals and registering 88 points in his first season with the team.