Morgan Rielly shares true feelings over John Tavares losing captaincy

The Toronto Maple Leafs made the second major leadership change to their franchise of the offseason, awarding the captaincy that had been the responsibility of John Tavares since 2019 to Auston Matthews, now the 26th captain in franchise history.

For longtime Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly, the way that Tavares is handling himself in surrendering the captaincy couldn't have been classier.

"I think when this came about there were some challenges for him, but, I think he’s handled everything like the class act that he is," Rielly said. "I had a chance to speak with him, and the first thing that I felt was, how well he’s handling it.

"His view on things, as this has kinda come about, he’s been outstanding, but that’s no surprise to anyone," he continued. "I think it speaks volumes about who John is as a person and where his priorities lie. I think, for him, the only thing that really matters is our team and the results we’re able to get during the season and what’s best for our group."

Meanwhile, Rielly expressed excitement over Matthews assuming the mantle of responsibility that comes with being the captain of a historic Original 6 franchise.

"As a person and a teammate, we have had the opportunity to watch him grow, watch him mature over the last eight or nine years," he said. "So you know, I think he’s extremely excited, and I think he’s prepared this role, this next chapter, I think it’s a great opportunity for our team to move forward. So, we’re all very excited for him.”

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