Toronto Maple Leafs’ President of Hockey Operations, Brendan Shanahan, recently disclosed who initiated the idea of naming Auston Matthews as the team captain.
Following the Maple Leafs’ first-round elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins, the organization began evaluating internal changes to prevent another early exit.
They started by replacing head coach Sheldon Keefe with Craig Berube and signing notable players like Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Eventually, they decided to appoint Auston Matthews as the 26th team captain, resulting in John Tavares stepping down after serving as captain for the past five seasons. Earlier this week, Tavares officially handed over the captaincy to Matthews, sparking questions about the behind-the-scenes process.
Brendan Shanahan recently shared insights into the decision.
He revealed that he was the one who approached Tavares about the change earlier this summer.
In his words:
“I actually went over to John’s house and sat with him in his backyard, and Aryne was there, and really talked to him about this and to gauge his comfortability when this was first being talked about.”
Brad Treliving also noted that Tavares was aware of this possibility:
“He understood my thoughts on it. We had a couple of discussions, but from the moment it was raised, he understood. As he said to me, he knew at some point this day was coming.”
These kinds of significant decisions are not made lightly, and Shanahan’s involvement underscores the urgency for the team to make changes necessary to elevate their performance.
The post JUST IN: Brendan Shanahan Unveils the Mastermind Behind Naming Auston Matthews as Leafs Captain appeared first on Check For Me.
