Morgan Rielly breaks his silence on John Tavares being stripped of Maple Leafs captaincy

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Axel Williams
August 19, 2024 (7:50)

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Morgan Rielly was in Toronto last week where he got to see Auston Matthews get sworn in as the 26th captain in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Of course, this came at the expense of none other than John Tavares, who was the previous captain. A lot has been made about this decision and whether or not it was the right one. While speaking to the media, Rielly was quite diplomatic about it all. In fact, he praised Tavares for how he has handled it.

"I think when this came about there were some challenges for him, but, I think he's handled everything like the class act that he is, Rielly said. I had a chance to speak with him, and the first thing that I felt was, how well he's handling it."

Morgan Rielly speaks on Auston Matthews

Rielly also spoke about Auston Matthews and what he thinks of the superstar goalscorer. Essentially, the Maple Leafs defenseman is not worried about the young man's leadership skills. Instead, he believes that the team is in very good hands, moving forward.

"As a person and a teammate, we have had the opportunity to watch him grow, watch him mature over the last eight or nine years, he said. So you know, I think he's extremely excited, and I think he's prepared this role, this next chapter, I think it's a great opportunity for our team to move forward. So, we're all very excited for him."

Matthews will now get a chance to prove himself as captain, this upcoming season. If the Maple Leafs are able to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, then the decision to make him captain will certainly be justified. Let us know if you believe he is a good fit as captain, in the poll down below. Additionally, stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world.

Source: Hockey Feed
Morgan Rielly shares true feelings over John Tavares losing captaincy