Did the Toronto Maple Leafs try to push John Tavares and test his patience by removing his captaincy? A couple of analysts think maybe.
Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne, and Sam McKee discussed the decision by the Toronto Maple Leafs to ask John Tavares to give up his captaincy this summer, and there was a theory thrown out there that they did so with the intention, or perhaps the hope, that Tavares would be so insulted by the request that he would ask for a trade.
Kypreos said Tavares took the high road but added he knows there are some players out there that have worn the ‘C’ and said, ‘If you don’t think that I can still do this or you don’t want me to do that then get rid of me.” Justin Bourne asked if Kyper thought that was the Leafs’ intent and the response wasn’t a definitive yes, but he left the door open that the team was prepared for Tavares to be upset.
Kypreos said, “Listen, if it could help alleviate the cap, the Leafs were prepared to hear that from him, but he didn’t go down that road.” Kypreos then said he spoke to a lot of ex-players who wondered why Tavares would accept that so readily and the belief, in part, was that Tavares saw what the organization might be trying to do and he didn’t want to give them any ammunition. “They’ve come to you and said we can’t win with you as the captain..”
Bourne noted, “He probably played that movie out in his mind and probably saw how quickly it would have gone from ‘You don’t think I can leave, then send me outta here!’. and the next day he would have been in Columbus or something.”
Kypreos said Tavares made it crystal clear he wants to stay and that agreeing to the captaincy change helps ensure the Leafs don’t look to move him. At the very least, the organization doesn’t feel they can since Tavares was so accommodating.
