"Matthews is no leader": NHL fans react to Leafs reportedly considering stripping John Tavares' captaincy & handing it over to Auston Matthews

According to recent reports, there is serious consideration within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization to remove John Tavares from his captaincy role. Tavares, who joined the Leafs from the New York Islanders in 2018, was designated with the letter "C" on his chest during the 2019–20 season.

Despite serving as the Leafs' captain for the past five years, the club has only advanced past the first round of the playoffs once. Speculations and reports strongly suggest that a change in leadership might be imminent in Toronto. If this happens, Auston Matthews seems to be the top contender to take on the captaincy role, wearing the "C" on his jersey after John Tavares.

One fan on X/Twitter opined that Auston Matthews should not take over the captaincy role as he may not possess the qualities of a leader:

"Matthews is no leader. I know leaf fans want it so bad but captain material he is not"

Another fan chimed in and opined that removing Tavares from captaincy would be a mistake for the Leafs:

That would be a mistake.

Here's how other hockey fans reacted to the news. One said:

"The leafs would never leak they are "considering" something like that. It's ridiculous. They would either do it or wouldn't and nobody outside about 3 people would have a clue they are considering that. Smh"

"He took a hometown discount, has performed well throughout his contract years, got blasted by NY for leaving and only has 1 year left on his contract. Why on earth would you do this now? Just wait out the upcoming season," another commented.

"lol making a captain change isn’t going to make the team better. I doubt this is happening. Jt is a fine captain," one X user expressed.

"I’d only give it to Matthews if he was making it known he really wanted it. The added weight of the captaincy is not for everyone. Especially in a city like Toronto. It may be an unnecessary distraction for him," one fan suggested.

Former Maple Leafs GM weighs in on John Tavares captaincy reports

Brian Burke, the former Toronto Maple Leafs GM, shared his perspective on the John Tavares captaincy reports. While speaking to Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Wednesday's edition of the "Leafs Morning Take Show," Burke expressed his view that removing the captaincy from John Tavares would be a significant and potentially drastic decision.

The former GM reckons such a move could be seen as admitting a mistake in appointing Tavares as the captain in the first place.

"I’ve had the discussion before and it’s such a drastic step,” Burke told Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill. “It’s admitting you made a mistake in my mind if you put the ‘C’ on a guy and take it away. You’ve seen it happen, it happened in San Jose and it’s happened recently. It’s not unheard of, but it is unusual.

I wouldn’t entertain that discussion. I think John Tavares is a quality player and a good guy. He’s earned his money, he’s done a good job, he’s killed penalties, he’s worked on the power play, I think he’s a useful guy, he’s good in the community. I’ve heard the rumours though, the rumblings.”

John Tavares is in the final year of a seven-year, $77,000,000 deal signed with the Maple Leafs in 2018. He will become a UFA at the end of the 2024-25 season.