The Colorado Avalanche have only had four captains: Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Milan Hejduk, and currently, Gabriel Landeskog. The “C” is often worn by a team’s best player and the one the organization believes best represents the organization. Just recently, John Tavares handed over the captaincy to Auston Matthews, making him the 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Matthews’ play, awards and leadership earned him the “C.” Nathan MacKinnon’s recent play and awards should initiate a change in captaincy, especially given Landeskog’s injury situation. Tavares agreed to the change, and so should Landeskog.
MacKinnon Is in His Prime
Like Matthews, MacKinnon is an entirely different player from when he first entered the league. After putting up 42 goals and 111 points in 2022-23, many thought that was the best we would see from him. Finishing with career-highs across the board with 51 goals and 89 assists, MacKinnon broke league and franchise records last season and was named a first-team All-Star while taking home the Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Trophy.
He is among the greatest Avalanche players in history, and there isn’t much he hasn’t achieved in his career. He was a Calder Trophy winner when he entered the league in 2013-14 and a Lady Byng winner in the 2019-20 season. He has also received votes for the Selke Trophy, though he has never won.
Unlike Matthews, Mackinnon also won the 2022 Stanley Cup – something the Maple Leafs haven’t accomplished since 1967 (Haha, there’s the 1967 joke). Some NHL captains never win a Stanley Cup, which doesn’t detract from their leadership. It simply shows the impressive resume of a talented veteran like MacKinnon, who has gone from a rebuilding team to a Stanley Cup contender, and what it takes to leave everything on the ice to win the game no matter what.
Landeskog’s Situation Differs From Tavares’
Tavares’ time in Toronto has been a roller coaster. He was a hometown kid who, after playing nine years with the New York Islanders, who drafted him first overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2017 on a very lucrative deal worth $77 million for seven years, with a cap hit of $11 million each season. The deal is talked about often due to the Maple Leafs’ cap situation, but before joining the team, Tavares ranked in the top three twice in Hart Trophy voting and…
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