The Toronto Maple Leafs are close to naming forward Auston Matthews as the franchise’s next captain. The announcement is expected to be made on Wednesday morning.
Matthews, who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2016 NHL Draft (one pick ahead of Winnipeg’s selection of Patrik Laine at No. 2), has been with the Leafs ever since and will likely now be considered a “Leaf for life” following the transition of the captaincy role from John Tavares to Matthews for the 2024-25 season, Matthews’ ninth in the league.
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Laine, on the other hand, missed a significant portion of the 2023-24 season due to his participation in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program.
He recently got engaged to his girlfriend Jordan and together they launched a new mental health initiative: From Us to You, which will aim to publicly and privately share stories of those who overcome adversity and mental problems.
Laine, whose hockey career has completely declined since being traded to Columbus (for Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has been traded twice more since), had another disappointing season and has personally requested a change of scenery from Ohio.
While the guy who had raised questions about whether he was a better choice to go No. 1 overall to Toronto hopes to find a new home, the guy who has proven himself to be one of the league’s best players for the better part of the last decade will have a shiny new letter on his sweater, new responsibilities and will become the official face of the NHL’s most historic franchise.
This is where the “Matthews or Laine?” debate ends.