Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has suffered a knee injury, and will be out for three weeks according to the team. Aleksander Barkov of the host Florida Panthers will be named to the All-Star Game as an emergency replacement.
Auston Matthews out With Knee Injury
Injury update:
Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will be out of the lineup for a minimum of three weeks due to a knee sprain suffered in Wednesday’s game vs. NYR.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) January 27, 2023
The Leafs have suffered a massive blow to their offence, as they will lose Matthews for three weeks with a knee sprain he suffered against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
Matthews, 25, has 25 goals, and 28 assists for 53 points in 47 GP so far.
This is not the first time Matthews has been injured this year, as he missed a game against the Nashville Predators.
Matthews is coming off a 106-point season in the 2021-2022 season and is on pace for roughly 91 points this year.
Barkov, 27, has 43 points in 40 games this season and is projected to have 77 points in 70 games by the end of the year, and it will be his second all-star appearance. his first was in the 2017-2018 season, where he had 78 points in 79 GP. Matthews was voted into the All-Star game through the highly controversial Fan Vote.
Aleksander Barkov of the host @FlaPanthers will replace injured Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews on the Atlantic Division roster at the 2023 Honda #NHLAllStar Game.
This will be the second All-Star appearance for Barkov (also 2018).https://t.co/uaGaJy91ri pic.twitter.com/niKej9OvPr
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 27, 2023
What This Means
Although this is a massive blow to the Leafs forward core, they seem to be relying on Mitch Marner and William Nylander to be in the spotlight, while letting Matthews figure it out after an apparent rough start to the season.
This may also be to allow him to heal and compete at a slower pace as well, as he came off an already mentioned 60-goal-106-point season.
Although it is a blow to not have him in the all-star game, most top players take the time to rest, and not participate in it. Famously, Alexander Ovechkin refuses to participate in the game, choosing to take a one-game suspension instead.
This shouldn’t be anything serious for Matthews, although it may take a bit of a hit on his mobility and skating long-term.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
