The Toronto Maple Leafs will be the undisputed winners of 2018 NHL free agency, as John Tavares’ choice to depart the New York Islanders and sign with his hometown team has lots of lovers in Leafs Nation dreaming about an elusive Stanley Cup. However, with Tavares heading north, which man will serve in the season as the captain to the Leafs? Oddsmakers are on the circumstance.
John Tavares Is Your Favorite.
BetOnline has released odds on which Maple Leaf will overlook the C in the 2018-19 effort, together with Tavares recorded as the overwhelming -250 favorite. Auston Matthews (+175) comes in supporting Johnny T, and also the option of no captain being termed (+750) and any other participant (+900) will also be recorded.
The Leafs have not had a captain since defenseman Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Ottawa Senators at February of 2016, but their current situation is an issue many teams would love to have. Tavares, who served as the leader of the Islanders for the vast majority of his nine-year stint on Long Island and recently signed a seven-year, $77-million deal with Toronto, is an established leader, while Matthews is currently a celebrity in the tender age of 20.
Does Matthews have a case for the captaincy?
Ahead of Tavares’ arrival, many fans and pundits perceived Matthews since the front-runner to wear the C. After all, the Arizona native won the Calder Trophy in his rookie campaign and directed Toronto to its second straight playoff appearance . According to legendary defenseman Bobby Orr, Matthews will not be bothered when the Leafs choose to go with Tavares.
”That’s bull roughly (Matthews) being upset about the captaincy,” Orr told TSN. ”That is so wrong. They’re a good team and they are likely to be a team that is very good. John sets them closer to their goal. That is what Auston is worried about.” Matthews is entering the third and final year of his entry-level contract and is due for a huge pay increase soon.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out, but you won’t hear Leafs fans complaining about the situation any time soon. Toronto is tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning since the Stanley Cup favorites, and suddenly the franchise’s championship drought of 50-plus years looks like it could end sooner rather than later. Leafs fans have a huge reason to be optimistic, and it is hard to argue it’s unwarranted.
this page: http://nhl-odds.org/odds/