Major absence at Auston Matthews' captaincy presentation tells concerning story

Auston Matthews was joined by a number of current and former Maple Leafs on Wednesday when John Tavares graciously handed over the captaincy to him. Matthews and Tavares were joined by Wendel Clark, Doug Gilmour, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly.

When the captaincy change announcement came down, some were of the mindset that William Nylander deserves to wear a letter, having been the only player on the team (aside from Rielly) to have signed an 8-year extension). His surprising absence for Matthews' captaincy transition might suggest that he will not be a part of the leadership group in Toronto.

There is no doubt that Rielly will continue to be an alternate captain and Treliving has already confirmed that Tavares will be one as well. With all of the pressure and backlash from fans that Marner is facing after another disappearing act during the playoffs, the discussion now may revolve around whether the team should have Marner in a leadership role while on an expiring contract.

As internal discussions continue with training camp now just five weeks away, we may have to wait just a little while longer before we know who will wear an "A" in Toronto along with Tavares.
It is somewhat concerning that the Leafs don't have a defined leadership group mere weeks away from training camp. It's also a little concerning that Nylander had no interest in returning to Toronto early to attend the ceremony to support his new and former captain.

The absence may be entirely innocent. Perhaps Nylander simply couldn't get a flight back in time. One thing is for certain, though -- the optics of it aren't the greatest.

Source: PuckPedia
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