Brad Treliving officially decides whether John Tavares will wear a letter

The announcement that everyone knew was coming was finally made, and former Leafs captain John Tavares had his C stripped and it was handed over to Auston Matthews at today's press conference. It was also announced that John Tavares will be receiving the A on his jersey for the upcoming season as an alternate captain.

John Tavares has been the captain of the Leafs since the 2019 season began, which was only his second year with the team. He has played in a total of 1,109 games in his career, picking up 1,040 points.

Auston Matthews now becomes the first ever American to captain a Leafs team. He has had quite a lovely career too, scoring 368 goals and 649 points in his 562 career games with the Leafs.

Auston Matthews was initially supposed to be the captain of the Maple Leafs back in 2019 but he was dealing with some personal issues and entangled in a legal matter, so the team felt it was best not to give him the C in order to avoid a PR nightmare. Now that things are long gone, Matthews is ready for this new challenge, which is why he has taken over the C from John Tavares. The team needs a new direction and they're hoping a new captain can be something to help them get over a decade long playoff hump.

John Tavares is fully supportive of this move and says he will continue to be a leader on and off the ice, and he feels healthy and ready to go for a really good season ahead.

Source:
Nick Barden on X