Rumor: Leafs considering stripping John Tavares of captaincy (per Kypreos)

[MilkofthePoppy]

The beatings he took on the ice haven't done him any favors.

The only memory I have of him in a Leafs uniform is him being scraped off the ice.

 

[WillyC]

Kyper’s sources are now saying… Marner gets the C.

 

[BudForLife]

That's great if we're trying not to hurt anybody's feelings but that's not the goal here. What's humiliating is Johnny's playoff performances.

Sure I totally agree that he’s been brutal in the playoffs and nobody knows that better than Johnny himself. That’s already humiliating enough. No need to take away his dignity too. Let him finish.
It also won’t look good on the Leafs and players around the league will remember.

 

[AvroArrow]

Kyper’s sources are now saying… Marner gets the C.

This city will burn down

 

[socko]

Just give all the core C's and one to Shanahan too. They can say it stands for Captain but I will see Clown.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Kyper’s sources are now saying… Marner gets the C.

And a 8 x 13 contract extension. All in with Mitchy.

 

[QJo]

Sure I totally agree that he’s been brutal in the playoffs and nobody knows that better than Johnny himself. That’s already humiliating enough. No need to take away his dignity too. Let him finish.
It also won’t look good on the Leafs and players around the league will remember.

I've been a 'players don't want employers that mistreat employees' advocate but I don't see this enveloped in that. Everyone recognizes the underperforming group. I don't think outside players would see leadership change as mistreatment.

 

[WillyC]

And a 8 x 13 contract extension. All in with Mitchy.

$13.93 million… keeps it under 14 for the hometown discount and Auston keeps the A they used to share.

Paul has already approved it.

 

[stanleyorbust]

Stop talking about it already and just do it.

We need to be ruthless in our pursuit of the cup.

If they believe they are better off with Matthew’s as Captain why wait?

Tavares is a big boy and if he resigning is dependent on him being captain then he’s clearly not a team guy

 

[hotpaws]

What JR career did you follow? lol

the one where his teams failed every playoffs

i know i know it's not his fault , it's just that everybody lets him down like they have for his 15 yrs in the NHL

 

[Suntouchable13]

Stop talking about it already and just do it.

We need to be ruthless in our pursuit of the cup.

If they believe they are better off with Matthew’s as Captain why wait?

Tavares is a big boy and if he resigning is dependent on him being captain then he’s clearly not a team guy

Why would the Leafs care about re-signing him? They should let him go after this next season. Not even for 1M would I take him back.

 

[rumman]

It would be illogical to think being captain wouldn't make him feel more responsible for our teams success as captain.

Giving 34 the C would be nothing but stroking is ego, which is plenty big enough imo……….

 

[rumman]

Can't trade anyone... how can one make big changes?

Seems like the only way they can say they did something drastic.

I don’t put switching letters on jerseys beyond Leaf mgmt as to major changes, the bonus is it most likey increases jersey sales so Keith Pelley would be happy………

 

[rumman]

They promised CHANGE.

Why wouldn’t RD34 be the Captain representing a failed era

Mathews looked like a clown when that happened, and people think he’s captain material……….

 

[rumman]

I'd just wait another year. Maybe if Auston signed 8 years. The 4 year deal is not great, could have a very short lived captain

Good point, wonder how much more juice 34 can squeeze out of mgmt on his next deal because he’s captain? Guy signed for four years so he can either bolt or screw us over again, if he wanted to stay and be the leader of this team he would have signed for eight………

 

[Tak7]

Good point, wonder how much more juice 34 can squeeze out of mgmt on his next deal because he’s captain? Guy signed for four years so he can either bolt or screw us over again, if he wanted to stay and be the leader of this team he would have signed for eight………

I said this at the time, but people were too busy celebrating the extension - it's a ridiculous deal. The entire value of a long-term deal is that the cap hit remains the same while the cap goes up, meaning that deal takes up less & less space every year, allowing you to build around it.

Having to continue handing out big deals every few years absolutely prevents you from doing any of that.

How many free agency conversations did the Leafs avoid on July 1st because they weren't comfortable going longer on term due to the Matthews "window"?

We know both Bertuzzi and Matt Roy were very close but the Leafs didn't like the term. Have to imagine that there were others.

 

[egd27]

It would be illogical to think being captain wouldn't make him feel more responsible for our teams success as captain.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

They would never strip him of it. They might ask politely but no chance of them taking it away not by his choice. I would let him play out the contract and see how it goes. Personally I thought Rielly should have been captain a long time ago. Matthews is also very deserving of course. But then, so is Tavares.

 

[stanleyorbust]

Why would the Leafs care about re-signing him? They should let him go after

He is still a serviceable player. I could see him pulling a Spezza and playing his later years as a bottom 6 player who an win puck battles, faceoffs and chip in 10-15 goals. No point throwing away a good asset if he is willing to take a lessor role at bottom 6 dollars.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

Sure they are Kyper...whatever you say.

He's gone after this season when Shanny gets canned. Then they can just hand it to Matthews, who should have had it all along.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Rather surprised this doesn’t appear to be a discussion happening anywhere (unless I’ve missed it which is possible) but allegedly Kypreos said on radio on Monday that the Leafs are seriously considering taking the captaincy away from JT and naming Matthews captain.

If true, I mean, I get it. If this happens though I feel bad for Tavares. It’s not all his fault what’s transpired here under his leadership and this is an awful market to have something like this go down in as it will be talked about and analyzed to death and there will probably be some degree of undue character assassination that accompanies it.

That all said. This is clearly Auston Matthews’ team and I think he will be the captain sooner than later. Can this not wait a year though so as to not publicly embarrass Tavares?

This was all pretty much discussed between JT and Matty before he signed here .. da only issue was when it would occur .. representing it as a Leaf mgmt issue is da only thing that Kipper has wrong here .. of course Leafs would have to approve but again this was all discussed and agreed before JT signed here that there would be a transition to Matty at some point in time .. and Kipper already knew this too .. i guess he thinks he has to "break things" now .. i guess these media types need stories to fill time

 

[ACC1224]

This was all pretty much discussed between JT and Matty before he signed here .. da only issue was when it would occur .. representing it as a Leaf mgmt issue is da only thing that Kipper has wrong here .. of course Leafs would have to approve but again this was all discussed and agreed before JT signed here that there would be a transition to Matty at some point in time .. and Kipper already knew this too .. i guess he thinks he has to "break things" now .. i guess these media types need stories to fill time

So the video the showed when they named Tavares the Captain, with his wife and baby boy in a 91 Leaf jersey with a 'C' on it, was all acting since he knew he was getting the C all along?

 

[JT AM da real deal]

So the video the showed when they named Tavares the Captain, with his wife and baby boy in a 91 Leaf jersey with a 'C' on it, was all acting since he knew he was getting the C all along?

All just PR press to fill media space .. everyone around JT knew it

 

[ACC1224]

All just PR press to fill media space .. everyone around JT knew it

Good acting, fooled me.

 

[saffronleaf]

lmao waiting for the presser after JT is stripped of his captaincy where he says he's learned a lot of lessons