John Tavares' future with Leafs reportedly decided

John Tavares is no longer the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, having voluntarily surrendered the leadership role to teammate Auston Matthews earlier this week.

And as it happens, he's entering the final year of his current contract that he signed after being lured from the New York Islanders in the summer of 2018 by former GM Kyle Dubas. Are the two sides headed for an inevitable split? Apparently not.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman in his latest "32 Thoughts" podcast, the Leafs giving him an extension after the hype surrounding the new Matthews captaincy wears off.

"I still think that's in play for Tavares, a potential extension," Friedman said. "You're not going to hear anything about it on Wednesday. I don't think it's done and even if it was done, I don't think they would overshadow Matthews. But it's been discussed. I think it will continue to be discussed."

As you know, Tavares and the Maple Leafs have only been able to advance past Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on one occasion during his tenure with the club, and it was thanks to his overtime goal in Game 6 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Quarter Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Other notable players who have had the captaincy stripped away from them in recent memory include Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings (after leading them to a pair of Stanley Cup victories in three years) and both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks. 

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