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Captain discussion

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Would you give Matthews the C?

  • Yes - do it during this season

    Votes: 9 10.2%

  • Yes - do it in the offseason

    Votes: 33 37.5%

  • Yes - when tavares’ contract is up

    Votes: 28 31.8%

  • No - JT should always be our captain until he retires

    Votes: 18 20.5%
  • Total voters
    88
Tavares stats this year (vs other forwards):

5v5 Points/60 (min 150 minutes) : 1.32 (152nd in the NHL out of 210)
PP points/60 (min 30 PP minutes) : 11.81 (5th in the NHL out of 129)
Overall points/60 (min 200 minutes): 3.17 (34th in the NHL out of 182)

5v5 adjusted stats:

QoC: - 1st or 2nd line (matchups change based on team it seems)

CF%: 51.57 (+.30 REL)
xGF% 54.16 (+2.80 REL)
GF% 58.45 (-1.16 REL)

Faceoff%: 59.2% (Top 10 in the NHL)

Really needs to pick up 5v5 scoring of course but has been one of the best powerplay players in the NHL, top faceoff guy and has decent underlying numbers.
 
Should have been Matthews from the beginning, that's become increasingly obvious(although I'd venture most of us always knew that) but at this point it doesn't matter, barring disaster it's Tavares until he leaves.
 
MapleLeafs77 said:
This is something I always believed to be honest and now people are starting to realize since the honeymoon is over.

Matthews should have always been the captain of this team. By far our best player and clearly the leader on this team if we are going anywhere. Babcock got his way on this and decided to give it to vet.

JT is not the superstar we all think he is. He is good/great mostly but he is more of that secondary piece with mitch and will. Help support matty.

I think the C is weighing him down and he just isnt that good anymore.

Would you consider an exchange of the C any time soon?
Click to expand...
God no. Why weigh Matthews down with it?
 
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I was vocal that Summer that Matthews should have been named captain, even after the "Arizona incident". Tavares is too polished, emotionally he's a flatliner and it didn't look like being the captain on the island worked out so well.

I thought at the time perhaps it was a Morpheus/Neo moment for Auston: "You have to walk the path", but it's not like the expectation was Tavares would hold onto the "C" for a few years until Matthews was ready. It was a commitment to JT who had a 7-year deal. The choice was made: Tavarers is the guy. He's not.

So as much as I still think Matthews should be captain, you don't do that mid-season and especially not when you're in first place (points-wise) in the league. Major drama when it's not needed. However, they don't get out of this division come playoff time, something major and earth-shattering has to happen, besides just moving on from Freddy, Reilly or firing Dubas. Putting the "C" on Matthews would be justified and certainly send a message.
 
First of all, Matthews is 100% at fault for not being captain. It was because of his immature act and hiding it why he isn't captain. I think in theory he should be, but I understand why.

Very easy to side-step that now and say he should be.
 
LeafGrief said:
Tavares turned 30 in September. He's closer in age to Nylander than he is to Spezza or Thornton. He's here on an $11m contract and in his prime, he's not the father figure because he is literally one of the guys.
Click to expand...

Well, my other observation is he doesn’t feel like one of the guys. Not quite embraced the same way or included in social media.

He’s also 30 years old which would put him in a completely different career stage as a veteran leader and not in the same stage as the other Big 3. He’s a year younger than Bogosian and 2 years younger than Wayne Simmonds.

The guy is just an awkward fit. Checks off the right boxes and looks right on paper but for me I just don’t think he has the emotional connection to the position.
 
Stephen said:
Well, my other observation is he doesn’t feel like one of the guys. Not quite embraced the same way or included in social media.

He’s also 30 years old which would put him in a completely different career stage as a veteran leader and not in the same stage as the other Big 3. He’s a year younger than Bogosian and 2 years younger than Wayne Simmonds.
Click to expand...
Tavares does have Twitter, although the last time he tweeted anything new was on December 11, 2020.

https://twitter.com/91tavares?lang=en

Remember it was through Twitter where he announced that he signed with Toronto.







Although more recently there have been more tweets posted from his John Tavares Foundation Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/JohnTavaresFDN
 
LeafsNation75 said:
Tavares does have Twitter, although the last time he tweeted anything new was on December 11, 2020.

https://twitter.com/91tavares?lang=en

Remember it was through Twitter where he announced that he signed with Toronto.







Although more recently there have been more tweets posted from his John Tavares Foundation Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/JohnTavaresFDN
Click to expand...


Not sure if it means anything at all but none of his teammates support it the John Tavares Foundation on Instagram, whereas they seem to be better connected amongst each other.
 
I was in the "give it to Matthews" back then camp. However, since Tavares got it now, it should stay on him as long as he is on the team
 
Matthews does not seem to be suffering much not being captain. Let him concentrate on the hockey part of his job as a 23 year old super star.
 
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you dont strip JT of the captaincy. Certainly not yet. I think you wait until the last year of Matthews deal, and you throw the "C" on his jersey next to his 8 year extension and say, this was always your team, time to make it official
 
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It should have been Matthews, but I don't really think there's anything wrong with Tavares being captain either. If Tavares wants to pass if off to him, that's cool, but I wouldn't ask him to.
 
Twine Tickler said:
you dont strip JT of the captaincy. Certainly not yet. I think you wait until the last year of Matthews deal, and you throw the "C" on his jersey next to his 8 year extension and say, this was always your team, time to make it official
Click to expand...
That’s a good idea. Stripping the C from Tavares doesn’t help us at all right now and only worsens Tavares as he may be led to believe that management doesn’t believe in him anymore. You definitely don’t want your 30yo 11m player to lose confidence in himself when he’s already going through a rough patch. At least you can justify it when Matthews is up for an extension
 
StevenB said:
That’s a good idea. Stripping the C from Tavares doesn’t help us at all right now and only worsens Tavares as he may be led to believe that management doesn’t believe in him anymore. You definitely don’t want your 30yo 11m player to lose confidence in himself when he’s already going through a rough patch. At least you can justify it when Matthews is up for an extension
Click to expand...
When Steven Stamkos got named the captain of the Lightning it took Martin St. Louis getting traded for that happen. Since he already won two Rocket Richard Trophy's maybe the argument could be made they should have taken the C away from St. Louis earlier and given it to Stamkos.
 
Nah, at the end of the day it's just a letter signifying responsibility. It wouldn't be worth the media shitshow, nor does it reflect well on the team who took a year to decide. Matthews is clearly the lead of the team regardless of whether his letter is a 'C' or an 'A'.
 
StevenB said:
That’s a good idea. Stripping the C from Tavares doesn’t help us at all right now and only worsens Tavares as he may be led to believe that management doesn’t believe in him anymore. You definitely don’t want your 30yo 11m player to lose confidence in himself when he’s already going through a rough patch. At least you can justify it when Matthews is up for an extension
Click to expand...
Tavares has performed at a pt/g pace since landing in TO. He does so much outside of that stat sheet that contributes to the success of the team. He, like everyone else on this roster is not immune from bad games. Last night was arguably one of his worst games in a leaf Uni. Maybe the worst. He is a determined individual who comes ready to play 95% of the time. In retrospect I would have given the C to Matthews. It was the right time. But JT hasn't done anything to warrant losing the C as of yet. Similar to the bruins with Chara/Bergy. Bergy was always the leader of that team. Chara had just been the guy before him. Everyone knew it was an inevitability that Patrice would get the C at some point, but it never hindered their ability to win a cup and go to the finals 2 other times. The boys in the room know who the leaders are. Matthews doesn't need the C to have that known
 
StevenB said:
That’s a good idea. Stripping the C from Tavares doesn’t help us at all right now and only worsens Tavares as he may be led to believe that management doesn’t believe in him anymore. You definitely don’t want your 30yo 11m player to lose confidence in himself when he’s already going through a rough patch. At least you can justify it when Matthews is up for an extension
Click to expand...

Stripping him of the Leafs captaincy would be followed up by a lot of turmoil. Like a trade, buyout or Robidas Island scenario. It would definitely be a nuclear option.
 
Tavares has been a really good player on one of the best teams in the league this year.

Some of ya'll are crazy.
 
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