Auston Matthews on receiving captaincy: 'A tremendous honour'

During his press conference which saw him named the 26th captain in team history, Maple Leafs star and newly minted 'C' Auston Matthews explained his future plans for himself and the team.

It was former captain John Tavares who handed over the captaincy to Matthews during a phone call and offered not only his support of the decision but his unwavering faith in the type of leader Matthews can be.

Amongst other questions, the topic of Matthews' idea of the future of the team, and where he wants to see himself; and when asked about the idea of potentially being a Maple Leaf for life, to say he was enthusiastic is an understatement:

"Well, I mean, I think that's the goal, is to be a Leaf for life. To win here, with my teammates, for this city. Those are always things that you kind of keep in the back of your mind. But they're also things that are kind of in the future as well.

I've loved every minute of being a Toronto Maple Leaf. Like I said, it's such a tremendous honour and you kind of take it one day at a time, but I hope that's the case."

Matthews is coming off a season where he scored 69 goals, the most since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96; and as Leafs Nation excitedly anticipates how the team will fare now that AM34 is at the helm, Matthews believes the best is yet to come. That's the bottom line, because Auston says so.

Previously on MapleLeafsLatest

TSN insider reveals Maple Leafs leadership change planned months ago

Maple Leafs announce major changes to 'Core Four' group

Fraser Minten very likely to debut this season for Maple Leafs

POLL
14 AOUT \| 67 ANSWERS Auston Matthews on receiving captaincy: 'A tremendous honour' Do you think Matthews will be a Maple Leaf for his entire career?
Yes	38	56.7 %
No	19	28.4 %
Only if he wins a cup	9	13.4 %
Becomes player/coach	1	1.5 %
LIST OF POLLS