John Tavares is prepared to adapt to life without the 'C' on his chest with the Maple Leafs.
It's been just over a month since the 34-year-old transferred the Toronto captaincy to Auston Matthews inside Real Sports Bar, footsteps away from Scotiabank Arena. It was a memorable day as the Maple Leafs' newest captain recollected the phone call from Tavares where he shared the news of the change.
And the process of giving Matthews more responsibility has already begun. The 26-year-old has spoken ahead of Tavares, on the team's media day on Wednesday and in training camp.
But as Tavares said on Saturday following a difficult scrimmage, where he scored a goal, things will change over time, and he's ready to adjust to the differences.
"There's definitely going to be certain responsibilities that Auston will take on that, you know, things that I had to take on. And some of that is just naturally throughout the course of the year, especially, I think either with you guys in the media or through the fan base and the messaging and communicating that way," Tavares said.
"But everything's been really natural. I think me and Auston have a tremendous relationship, a great amount of respect for each other, and obviously I've spoken a lot about what I think of him and obviously the type of player and person and what he's become and the opportunity for him to really step into this and take another step and continue on the way he's been leading.
"But from that standpoint, and for me, just to continue to do what I do. It may be less front and center, but a great, great challenge for me, great opportunity to adapt. I don't want to say, think about or recognize those differences too much, but I know it will be a little bit different, but I don't think it changes a lot on how I approach the game, how I play and how I lead and how I can impact the group.
"So just kind of going about my business day to day, and like I said, excited about the group and supporting Auston."
Tavares has skated alongside Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann this week in training camp, two players he's quite familiar with. As the younger guys push to make a good impression at camp, the veteran forward of over 1100 games is still approaching camp ravenously.
"You could say he's hungrier than I've ever seen him in my few years that I've been here," McMann admitted on Saturday.
"He just loves hockey, and he wants to win so bad that his preparation is always dialed. He's always ready to go, and he's always a great leader too. He's always trying to help guys, make sure he's pointing them in the right direction, especially me. I felt like a lot of leadership has come from him and guidance, so it's been great."
But why is Tavares, someone with numerous training camps under his belt, as avid as ever to have an outstanding training camp with the Maple Leafs?
"I think it's just the opportunity to compete and to play in the National Hockey League. So my enjoyment of the game, the drive, the competitive element, it's the same as I was since I can remember when I was a kid and entering the league and even before that," Tavares admitted.
"So excited about the opportunity we have as a team, how I can contribute to that and starting another year. So, it's been a great first few days. It's been tough, but it's been really good. So we're excited to get going and progress here throughout camp."
