Ex-Leafs captain gets honest about Auston Matthews

It's a new era for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as Auston Matthews was officially named the 26th captain in franchise history. Former captain John Tavares ceded the leadership role to his teammate and has been fully supportive of the transition, while he himself will remain an assistant captain. 

“I think when you look at the entirety of everything, this was inevitable that it was going to happen,” the former Leafs captain told TSN 1050’s First Up on Thursday. “He leads by example on the ice and you can’t argue with what he’s done of the years.”

“I don’t think it really changes that much,” said Vaive. “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.”

“The good part about [being named captain] is that I had Salming sitting beside me to my right,” said Vaive. “If I got up to say something or if anyone said anything [to me], he’d jump up and say, ‘Hey listen, he’ our captain so listen to him’. So, I have to give kudos to Borje because he helped me a lot.”

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