What does Auston Matthews becoming next captain mean for John Tavares' future with Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to name Auston Matthews as the team’s 26th captain, Sportsnet confirms. While the move is unsurprising, the timing is. Many expected Tavares to finish the final season of his seven-year deal as captain before eventually passing the torch to Matthews.

Per the NY Post, Tavares willingly ceded the captaincy to Auston Matthews, knowing full well that a leadership change was in order for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That leadership change started with the hiring of GM Brad Treliving last season.

Then, the dismissal of Sheldon Keefe following last season’s first-round exit marked another milestone in the Leafs’ leadership shift. Now, the next shoe to drop is Tavares, who is ousted as captain.

With Matthews becoming the obvious choice to replace Tavares, the question begs: What’s in store for Tavares?

Tavares is entering the final year of his $77 million deal signed in 2018. The speculation was that the Leafs would let Tavares play out his final year, potentially letting him walk away as a free agent.

With Tavares ceding the captaincy, it seems that his days are numbered in Toronto. It’s hard to imagine that Tavares would be willing to play out his final season under Matthews' captaincy.

The Leafs have no choice at this point. They must trade John Tavares. While doing so won’t be easy, the Leafs cannot afford to keep Tavares amid a potentially awkward situation like the Los Angeles Kings faced with Dustin Brown.

It is now only a matter of time before Tavares finds a new home.

The pressure is now on Auston Matthews to perform

As both Sportsnet and the NY Post pointed out, the lack of success during Tavares’ tenure as Leafs captain has prompted the club to make the drastic decision to anoint Auston Matthews.

As such, the pressure is now on Matthews. While it’s clear that Matthews is a regular-season performer, he’s yet to show the type of courage needed to carry a team during the playoffs.

Leafs fans got a glimpse of that in game two of the Leafs’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins. Matthews single-handedly turned the tide in the game, eventually scoring the game-winner on a swift breakaway goal.

Nevertheless, Matthews and company could not get past Boston despite forcing a Game 7, following a 3-1 deficit.

The dawn of the Matthews Era comes with heightened expectations and tremendous pressure to perform. Nothing short of a Conference Final appearance will suffice in Leafs Nation. However, the real goal is to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Will naming Auston Matthews captain catalyze the team to elevate their performance? The move in and of itself may not be enough. But when coupled with a coaching change and other roster moves, the time may have come for the Leafs to finally get over the proverbial playoff hump.