With Auston Matthews anointed as the Toronto Maple Leafs 26th team captain, change will invariably follow. There is no question that the ripple effect will be felt throughout the team, and to a certain extent, across the league.
While most seem to view this move as a positive one a long time in the making, the situation now opens up a new situation: The Toronto Maple Leafs could have no choice but to trade John Tavares.
According to reports, Tavares ceded the captaincy amid internal discussions. Tavares could have just seen the writing on the wall and made a classy decision. Or, that phrasing could be code for: The Leafs informed Tavares’ camp that the club would not be offering him a contract this offseason. So, the club was moving on from him and looking toward Auston Matthews as the next team captain.
It would be hard to blame the Toronto Maple Leafs for making that call. Tavares’ $11 million deal could open up a ton of options for this upcoming season. Given his age, and the potential for declining play, it's possible the Leafs could re-invest the money in a better way.
Could the Toronto Maple Leafs Now Consider Trading John Tavares?
I must admit, the move surprised me as I thought the team would let Tavares finish his final year as team captain. But now, with the Leafs stripping Tavares of his captaincy, a Dustin Brown-like situation potentially looms for Toronto.
Brown was publicly demoted in 2016 following several seasons of declining play and poor leadership on the ice. Brown and the Kings squabbled over the decision, with Brown making it public that he was upset about the club’s decision to name Anze Kopitar as his replacement.
The difference between Brown and Tavares, however, is that while Brown did lead the Kings to two Cups, he also declined rapidly whereas Tavares' has aged better than anyone could have reasonably expected.
That sort of situation won’t happen with Tavares as he’s got only one year left on his current deal. Nevertheless, the Toronto Maple Leafs cannot possibly expect Tavares to soldier through his final year. I personally think that Tavares must go.
In my estimation, Tavares’ willingness to relinquish the captaincy signals that he could waive his NMC to go elsewhere. However, very few teams could be genuinely interested in acquiring Tavares at his current price and the Leafs are in win-now mode, so they aren't going to be giving him away. Tavares might not be worth $11 million anymore, but he's still well above average.
There is probably less than a 1% chance the Leafs actually trade Tavares, but in my opinion it will just be a distraction and they should take whatever they can get.