The Toronto Maple Leafs have went through 2 and a half seasons without a Captain. They haven’t had a Captain since former Leaf Captain Dion Phaneuf was traded to Ottawa. The Leafs needed a revival to their rebuilding team, and they got exactly that by picking centre Auston Matthews 1st overall in 2016. He immediately came in a made an impact, taking his rightful place as the face of the franchise.

A Captain will be needed soon, and what better way to pick one than picking your 2016 1st overall pick, face of the franchise: Auston Matthews, when he signs his contract extension this year. Matthews has been the face of the franchise ever since his NHL debut in 2016 scoring 4 goals, while also stripping the puck off of star defenseman Erik Karlsson, now apart of the San Jose Sharks. Matthews has lead this team to countless victories and playoff rounds. He is a leader on and off the ice.

Matthews has the class, the skill, and the capability of being a successful Captain. He proved to me personally his qualities of being a Captain when he made a tribute to former San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau in San Jose in the 2019 NHL All Stars Skills Competition. He took his place to start his accuracy shooting challenge, he then took off his Leafs jersey and revealed his noticeably tight 2019 Parley x Adidas NHL All Star jersey with the number 12 and Marleau on the back. He was cheered on and gained the respect by Sharks faithful and even gained some respect from the Sharks at the event. Matthews showed how much he cares about his teammates and showed what he’ll do to make sure his team wins on the ice.

Matthews is your next Captain for the blue and white. It’s a matter of when, not who.

Follow @adamotweets on Twitter for Leafs related content.

#TTSAndMore