Insider reveals why the Maple Leafs made a shocking change to their captaincy

The Toronto Maple Leafs had been fairly silent since the first few days of free agency. Early in the offseason, they were busier hiring Craig Berube as their new head coach and then trading for Chris Tanev at the NHL Draft. However, today the dropped some major news as insider reports are confirming that they will be naming Auston Matthews their new captain.

This decision left fans with a ton of questions. Of course, previous captain John Tavares is still on the roster prompting many fans to wonder why the switch was made. According to a new follow-up report from Chris Johnston the Maple Leafs playoff exit against the Boston Bruins was a main catalyst.

Combine the lack of playoff success with a new head coach Craig Berube and the reasoning behind the decision becomes a lot more clear. Further, add in all of the drama of infighting from last year's playoffs and a new voice might be needed to clear up those things not only in the locker room but in the media as well.

With this decision, the Toronto Maple Leafs take the leap fully into the Auston Matthews era. He was obviously their best player but now he becomes their leader and voice to the rest of the world.