But seriously, why August 12^th?

In case you missed it (not sure how you would), according to multiple sources, the Leafs are expected to introduce Auston Matthews as the 26^th captain in franchise history at a press conference on Wednesday morning in Toronto.

For all intents and purposes, this came out of nowhere. That said, indisputably, it’s an early win for Craig Berube, who hasn’t even coached a game for the team yet.

At any rate, I got together with Jay Rosehill for a quick hitter to discuss the big news. Unsurprisingly, we were both in line with the decision. In fact, we both thought that it was a move that was long overdue, and it was probably something that they could have done sooner.

For the record, it’s been 102 days since Toronto fell 2-1 in Game 7 of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the rival Boston Bruins.

Clearly, they took their time with this decision. Furthermore, it probably made the most sense to make it official now as opposed to waiting until closer to the start of the season. It’s mid-August: A lot of people are on vacation and are not really thinking about the team right now.

Brilliant PR strategy.

Ultimately, regardless of all the noise that will undoubtedly be made about the move in the media, all that matters is that there’s cohesion inside the room. By all accounts, it sounds like Tavares, who’s been the captain since October 2019, was on board with the decision. The 33-year-old, who has one year left on his current deal with his childhood team, has been a consummate professional since the onset. If there’s someone who can handle something like this, it’s John Tavares.

For what it’s worth, when I asked him about what this could do to the room, without hesitation, Rosey was quick to downplay the entire situation. “Within the locker room, it’s not a huge deal. Honestly, the media & the market is gonna make more of an issue out of it than it really is,” said the former Maple Leaf.