TORONTO – When the captain’s “C” was removed from his sweatshirt, John Tavares must have felt like he had been hit in the chest with the end of a hockey stick.
No matter how many different angles you try to look at it from, no matter how favorably you might reshape the facts, timelines and chains of conversation, there is simply no way to portray the Toronto Maple Leafs’ decision as a positive outcome for the highly regarded forward.
But by facing a difficult situation with a high degree of selflessness, Tavares may have ultimately embarked on a new path to personal fulfillment.
He showed uncommon elegance at the official captaincy handover to Auston Matthews on Wednesday, hitting the right notes in his prepared speeches and posing for photos with his teammate on stage. Tavares’ wife, Aryne, and his parents, Barbara and Joe, watched from the front row and even secured a pair of No. 34 jerseys, each freshly decorated with a “C” over the heart, for his sons, Jace and Axton.
“That was my only request today,” Tavares said. “I want them to get some jerseys, have them signed by Auston and add to their collection.”
During his five-year tenure as captain of the Leafs, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the decisive game against Tampa in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. But his most memorable act in the top leadership role may ultimately be the way he accepted the organization’s request to step down to give Matthews more room to develop.
It began immediately after the first-round loss to Boston last May, when General Manager Brad Treliving told Tavares that he was considering a “C” move.
Apparently, he took the news as well as a proud athlete can.
In addition to speaking with Treliving, Tavares hosted Leafs president Brendan Shanahan in his backyard to discuss the move, called Matthews in late July to offer some words of encouragement and his blessing, and even contacted teammates Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly to let them know what was happening before the news became public.
Given the circumstances that must have affected him personally, Tavares responded by making sure that everyone around him was okay.
“It meant a lot to me to have his support throughout this whole thing,” Matthews said.
“I think that speaks volumes about the kind of person John is and where his priorities lie,” Rielly added. “I think to him, our team is the only thing that really matters.”
These were the actions of a man who has captained his club and national team in his past, but who also hopes to extend his stay in Toronto beyond the end of his current contract next summer.
The original goal that Tavares formulated in July 2018 when he selected the Leafs from a group of five serious applicants as a free agent still applies today: to bring the Stanley Cup back to his hometown.
Although he has been eligible to sign a contract extension since July 1, there have been no major discussions with Leafs management to date. Those talks have been put on hold while the captaincy issue is resolved. However, there is still more than a month until training camp opens and the two sides are expected to be in touch in the near future.
“I want to stay,” Tavares said. “It is my wish to stay, but I think it is best that these things remain behind closed doors. When the time comes, they will talk about it.”
To what extent the organization shares this wish remains to be seen.
The Leafs are at a crossroads not only with Tavares, but also with Marner, who is eligible to become a free agent in 2025. They spent the offseason discussing a desire for change after suffering eight straight losses in nine playoff series, and have a ready-made path to pursue that desire in earnest by potentially parting ways with one or both of those players next summer.
Still, it’s fair to say that Tavares has embraced the transition the organization made by handing Matthews the captaincy. With his “us before me” approach, he’s already become a key pillar of support for a man who will wear a “C” for the first time in his life following the NHL’s All-Star weekend.
GO DEEPER
Auston Matthews is ready for the extra spotlight that comes with being captain of the Maple Leafs
“Our relationship has been great from the beginning, but I already feel like it has evolved in many ways,” Tavares said of Matthews.
“What Auston has accomplished as a player, as a person and as a leader, it just made a lot more sense to me (his taking on the captaincy) and felt more and more right to me as I thought about it,” he added.
Tavares is currently in a new phase of his career.
His production dropped to 29 goals and 65 points last season – albeit with a career-low 10.4 percent shooting percentage and strong underlying numbers – and his next contract will almost certainly be significantly reduced from the $11 million his current deal offers.
But he is still valuable, both on and off the ice.
“This decision is definitely not about whether I succeeded or failed, whether I am capable or whether my time is over,” Tavares noted. “I feel stronger than ever in my ability to compete, play at a high level and make meaningful contributions through my leadership.”
Even though he played over 400 games in Toronto, the Leafs were still able to learn a lot about Tavares and take inspiration from the way he handled the last few months.
Rielly and Shanahan were both surprised by how relaxed he seemed. Treliving said the initial conversation about changing captaincy wasn’t very difficult because Tavares is so intelligent.
“John is a smart guy, and John saw and understood as well as we did that the time was right,” Shanahan said.
And so, in the presence of former Leafs captains Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour, as well as MLSE executives Larry Tanenbaum, Keith Pelley and a host of others, the 25th captain in Maple Leafs history gracefully passed the baton to his successor.
“Auston and I are two of 26 guys who were allowed to be there,” said Tavares. “It’s a great day.”
(Photo of John Tavares and Auston Matthews: Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star via Getty Images)
