After naming Auston Matthews the 26th captain in Maple Leafs history, Brad Treliving discussed the reasons and timing for the decision and his view of what makes Matthews captain material.
Opening statements on naming Auston Matthews captain
Today is a great day. I think everybody knows the news. We’re announcing Auston as the 26th captain in Toronto Maple Leafs history and also the first US-born captain. It is a great day.
Before I get to Auston, I want to discuss how we got here and talk about John. It was shortly after the end of the season. Like at the end of every season, you digest the season that just happened, and you look to improve in any way you can. It was at that time that John and I had a conversation. I first raised the thought I had about the succession of the captaincy.
Right from the start, John was on board. I can tell you he loves being the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. John is a thinker. He was taking things in. We continued these conversations over a number of days in terms of how we transition it.
Two things really stuck out to me. John said to me that when he first came here, he didn’t come to Toronto to be captain of the Maple Leafs. He came to win a Stanley Cup in his hometown. That goal is still what drives him today.
He mentioned that he knew this day was eventually going to come when he first entered the room and was looking around at a lot of the young players — when he first saw Auston and the great young talent. As John told me, he knew one day that [Auston] would become the captain of the Maple Leafs. That day is today.
I can’t thank John enough for his leadership and character. Those things don’t stop today. We need them even more. John will continue to provide those things. With his leadership through this process, he has been bringing ideas of how we can help Auston and how he can support him best.
John — on behalf of everybody with the Maple Leafs, thank you so much.
Onto Auston. The question may come up, “Why now? Why Auston?”
I have had the opportunity, live and in colour for a year now, to be around Auston. What a lot of you people see is the finished product, maybe at 7 o’clock on a game day, of what he does. He is one of the best players on planet Earth. What you don’t see is the work, the commitment, and what he does to push himself to be better every single day and push his teammates to be better every single day, as well as the man that he has become.
To me, leadership doesn’t fall on one individual, but there are certain individuals who have that ability. People want to follow him. He walks into a room, and people are gravitating to him. People naturally follow him.
We have had the distinct pleasure of being led by John for the last number of years. A great captain. I couldn’t think of a better person for him to bestow this honour on and pass this on to other than Auston.
Now, we officially announce the new captain of the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews.
Q&A with Brad Treliving
When did it first occur to you that a captaincy change might be appropriate?
Treliving: These are all things you think about. It is not that I thought there was something wrong. When you have a player like Auston, I keep seeing the evolution. Even seeing it from the outside, I watched Auston all of these years and saw the steps he has taken on the ice.
When you get the chance to be around him every day, and you see that evolution in him, you are always trying to push your team forward from a manager’s perspective. How can we find a way? That is what we are trying to do here. We are trying to keep knocking on the door to push through it.
I felt this was another step. Again, it is not that anything was wrong. It is a way we could take a step forward and have Auston lead that leadership group.
You are always thinking about different ideas. I approached John at the end of the year and had the talk with Auston.
Will John wear an A?
Treliving: Yeah, John is going to wear an A. How the rest of our leadership group is formed is something that we will talk about internally with Craig, myself, and Brendan.
The thing that is really key is that we have great leadership with this team. Morgan and Mitch are here today. John can attest to the fact that he was supported by great teammates and leaders on this team. Auston will be as well. We are very fortunate with our group and the strength of our leadership.
What are some of the things you saw last season that made you believe Auston was ready for this?
Treliving: Leadership isn’t always the rah-rah speech. There are times when uncomfortable things have to be said. Auston and I have talked about it. Our group has talked about that. I saw him take steps in that direction.
To me, the most authentic part of leadership is doing it right and being a mirror that people can look at and follow. That is what Auston does.
I haven’t been around a more prepared athlete in my life. When the season prepares, I think he takes a week off, and he is right back into his routine. He has been out at the facility. The work he puts in every day is something that you can look to emulate as a teammate.
I think he getting more comfortable in that ability to pull others along with him. He is at a high, elite level. Now, part of his goal is grabbing and bringing our group with him.
How would you describe Auston Matthews’ type of leadership?
Treliving: Especially with people in the public eye, you have a public view of them, but what you don’t see is the competitiveness. This guy has a burning desire to be the best.
He leads by example. He recognizes his surroundings. He knows what is going on. He knows when someone is maybe not having a great day. He has a real ability to connect and reach people.
As I said, he is a guy to whom people are drawn. When he walks into a room, he is a natural leader. People follow him.
Were you nervous at all approaching John Tavares about this decision?
Treliving: I wasn’t nervous. I have a good relationship with the players. Sometimes, you have to have hard conversations. This wasn’t a hard conversation in the sense that John is a really smart guy. You start having conversations about the team and the evolution.
At the end of the day, everyone has the same goal. The goal is to win. You are always finding different ways to push that process along. John, right from the start when we talked about it, has seen the evolution of Auston. We walked through it.
It was a smooth process. It wasn’t nervous. You have a relationship, and you have those conversations about the next step for our team.
It must be an emotional moment.
Treliving: Sure. John took the role very seriously. He loves and loved being the captain of the Maple Leafs. He understood the responsibility and the weight that comes with that. But he is also aware of what Auston is becoming, what he has become, and where he sits within the team.
We had lots of conversations about it. It couldn’t have been handled any better from John’s perspective. In these situations, you always say, “It was handled great,” but it was really handled great by John. He recognized where I was coming from.
How long was it between when you approached John and when you made the actual decision?
Treliving: We walked through it. This was a path we wanted to go down, and he recognized it. We didn’t have to convince. He understood my thoughts on it.
He gave some thought. We had a couple of discussions. But from the moment it was raised, he understood. As he said to me, he knew, at some point, this day was coming.
Do you think about waiting until Tavares’ contract expires a year from now?
Treliving: I think you act when you think the time is right. That really didn’t play a role in it.
As I said, it grows organically. The time was right to have that discussion. I didn’t really put much thought into that.
When you switched the head coach, was this an extension of that in terms of looking for a new voice?
Treliving: I raised my thoughts with Craig on it. He was supportive. He doesn’t know the people, and he is getting to know them. But it made sense to him.
With where Auston sits not only in the league but in the game and in our team, he understood and supported it.
How much do you see Auston Matthews as a representative of the organization more than just a leader in the locker room?
Treliving: I always look at it as, “Who do you want representing you,” right? Auston is wise beyond his years. He is very considerate. There is the work he puts into his craft and how he treats other people. I have been nothing but impressed from the day I met him.
I watched him from the outside. One of the biggest things that struck me when I got here is the work he puts into his craft. His talent — we all see it — is not by accident. He is an elite worker.
What is the status of Jani Hakanpaa?
Treliving: We are working through it. Today, we are dealing with this. We will get to that hopefully sooner rather than later.
