A former NHLer has chimed in on the captaincy change in Toronto, affirming his belief that it’s irrelevant to team success.

Much has been made of Auston Matthews becoming team captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team made a big deal about the event, putting together a whole press conference with John Tavares handing Matthews the “C” in a bit of a “passing of the torch” moment .

While the event made headlines, one former NHL player isn’t sharing the optimism that the Leafs are feeling. Matthew Barnaby is unconvinced it’ll change anything for the Maple Leafs out on the ice or in the locker room.

Barnaby was a member of the Dallas Stars when the team took the captaincy from Mike Modano and passed it along to Brenden Morrow — a move which Barnaby says didn’t really track with the players once the transition was complete.

Barnaby is also not the only one who feels this way.

Toronto and Dallas are two very different teams and have two very different markets. Will this formality actually lead to something bigger for the Leafs? It’s possible, and after a season in which Matthews produced 69 goals and 107 points, I’m not ready to rule anything out.

The Leafs have been loaded with talent but have disappointed for years. The core remains the same, the blueline looks a bit better, the goaltending has talent but lacks experience and the forward group is the same sans Bertuzzi.

Maybe the captaincy change in and of itself won’t accomplish anything, but maybe the sum of the parts of all of the additional moves, including the coaching change, the revamped blueline and the changes in the crease will add up to a successful 2024-25, even if Barnaby isn’t sold on the move.