Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews celebrates a goal against the New York Rangers with defenceman Morgan Rielly in Toronto on Dec. 19, 2023. Matthews will take over as the Leafs captain.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
The Toronto Maple Leafs will introduce Auston Matthews as the franchise’s 26th captain on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old centre will assume the responsibilities from John Tavares, who has served as the club’s captain for the last five seasons. Tavares, 33, is entering the final year of a contract that pays him US$11-million per season.
He scored a career-high 47 goals in his first season in Toronto in 2018-19 but has surpassed 30 in only one campaign since then. He had two goals and 11 points this summer while he served as captain of Canada’s contingent at the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship. The Canadians finished fourth after they lost to Sweden in the bronze-medal game.
Matthews was the first player selected in the 2016 draft, and four months later became the only player in National Hockey League history to score four times in his first game. He netted 40 goals in the 2016-17 campaign and was named the NHL’s rookie of the year.
He has spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs and is considered among the top stars in the NHL. He has finished as the NHL’s top goal-scorer in three of the last four years, and in 2023-24 broke his own NHL record for goals by an American-born player with 69.
Matthews has also previously been chosen most outstanding and valuable player and has been selected to participate in the NHL all-star game six times. It would be fair to say he has pretty much accomplished anything a hockey player can – with one very notable exception.
The Maple Leafs have qualified for the playoffs in each of his eight years but have won a round just once. Toronto was eliminated in seven games in the first round this summer by Boston, with Matthews missing two of the contests due to a suspected head injury.
Toronto’s management was looking to change the club’s culture during this off-season and discussions about the captaincy have been going on for months. Tavares has reportedly taken part in them and has offered to help Matthews with the transition.
Matthews has scored 368 goals in 582 regular-season games and ranks third on the franchise’s career goal-scoring list behind Daryl Sittler and Mats Sundin. He ended 2023-24 with 107 points, the most of his career.
The Maple Leafs open the regular season with road games against the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils on Oct. 9 and 10 before returning to Scotiabank Arena to play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 12.