The start of the 2024/25 season has been a solid one for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with the team fixing an early hole identified by Head Coach Craig Berube, with victories in two straight games since that point. It was a long off-season for Toronto after yet another first-round exit, and with many additions to the team such as Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, there was optimism for them heading into the new season.
One move that shocked many around the NHL was their captaincy change, as the team named Auston Matthews captain, stripping John Tavares in the process. For the most part, the reaction to this move has been positive, but one person that disagrees with that is Don Cherry, who has called the move a 'slap in the face' to John Tavares.
While early reports revealed that the team stripped Tavares of the captaincy, it has since been confirmed that Tavares happily handed the C off to Matthews, with No. 34 revealing how well the former captain has handled everything.
Ultimately, it appears those within the organization were happy with how things went, and given that Matthews is locked in for years to come, he was always the best choice to lead this team moving forward, and now we will wait and see whether or not this helps them at the most important time of year.