Out of nowhere, in the middle of August, the Maple Leafs decided to drop a bombshell that Auston Matthews has been named the newest captain of the Maple Leafs, with former captain John Tavares stepping down.

Matthews, 26, follows Tavares as captain of one of the most historic franchises in hockey’s history. Coming off of a career season with a 69/38/107 statline in 2023-24, Matthews is the right choice to replace Tavares as head voice on the bench.

Matthews takes over Tavares who is in the last year of his 7-year, $77M contract. Tavares was named captain back in October of 2019, giving him a 5 year stint with the Maple Leaf captaincy.

Matthews signed a four-year extension at $13.25M/yr, keeping him locked in with the Maple Leafs through the 2027-28 season. There will no doubt be some big years in the books for the newly crowned Leafs captain under that contract.

“This is part of the evolution of Matthews as a leader and current Maple Leafs captain John Tavares fully supports the change. Tavares has been heavily involved in the process with GM Brad Treliving,” Insider Darren Dreger said in a post on X

Matthews’ captaincy marks the first time the team has ever had an American captain. Look forward to the ovation Auston will receive at the home opener for the Maple Leafs.