John Tavares speaks up for the first time since giving away the Leafs captaincy

John Tavares is definitely taking the news that he is no longer the team's captain like a champ, and even his family appears to have bought in to it as his children were all seen wearing Auston Matthews jerseys with the letter "C" on them.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving said the idea of making a captaincy change was right after the team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Bruins. He did state that John Tavares will continue to wear an "A" on his jersey next season.

John Tavares made sure to complement Auston Matthews at the press conference today, revealing how he knew one day Matthews was going to get the "C", and said he felt honored that the torch would be passed on to him.

John Tavares has been the captain of the Leafs since 2019, which was only his second full season with the club. He has one year left on his $11 million annual contract, and this move will definitely add fuel to the fire that the team will likely not be keeping him past this season. That remains to be seen. If Tavares has an off year, chances are high he could be on his way out.

John Tavares finished last season with the Leafs scoring 29 goals and 65 points in 80 games, which was his worst season since he started out as a rookie in 2009.

Source: Sportsnet
'Now is the time': Maple Leafs' Tavares 'honoured' to pass captaincy to Matthews

Source: HockeyDB
John Tavares Stats