Former Maple Leafs captain Rick Vaive shares his honest opinion on Auston Matthews

PUBLICATION

Julien Trekker
August 18, 2024 (3:18 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The former Maple Leafs captain Rick Vaive shared his honest opinion on Auston Matthews during a recent interview on TSN 1050's First Up on Thursday.

The biggest storyline in Toronto recently has definitely been the organization's decision to name Auston Matthews as the team's 26th captain.

Ever since that news was confirmed in a press conference held by John Tavares, Brad Treliving, and Auston Matthews, many people have shared their opinions, and that's what Rick Vaive did a few days ago.

Vaive, who served as team captain between 1982 and 1986, can relate to Matthews' situation, as he replaced the renowned Darryl Sittler as the Leafs captain after he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

He started by talking about how the decision was inevitable because of Matthews' undeniable qualities, both on and off the ice:

"I think when you look at the entirety of everything, this was inevitable that it was going to happen. He leads by example on the ice and you can't argue with what he's done over the years."

He also talked about how it won't change that much in the Leafs' locker room, as Tavares will still be an important leader for his teammates:

"I don't think it really changes that much. A lot more is going to be expected out of Matthews with the leadership role, but Tavares is still there and he's still going to be one of the main leaders. Matthews may have to be a little more vocal in the room than before, but it's the same leadership group."

You can listen to the full interview in the video below: