Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided updates to the media on Monday. One of those updates includes Auston Matthews‘ injury. The Maple Leafs captain hasn’t made an appearance since Nov. 3 against the Minnesota Wild. The Leafs lost that game 2-1 where Matthews provided a power-play assist to William Nylander for the only goal of the game. However, he’s missed the following six games.
Matthews’ Injury Keeps Him Out A Little Longer
After Toronto’s loss to the Wild in early November, Matthews has been sidelined with an upper-body injury. According to Berube, this is the same knagging injury that kept him out for the majority of the preseason. It’s unclear what exactly Matthews’ injury is. However, the Leafs coach made it clear that it’s not related to past wrist issues he has dealt with. Leafs’ management is being cautious with the three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner. Since he was placed on injury reserve retroactively on Nov. 3, he is eligible to return in that sense. However, Toronto’s staff don’t want to rush him back and want this matter to disappear entirely before having him return.
At the time Matthews’ injury was announced, it was considered a “day-to-day” issue. However, there’s been confirmation that he won’t be playing against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. That would extend his absence to almost three weeks. But, there is a possibility he will feature on Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club.
Toronto Steps Up Without Their Star
The idea with this holdout is to ensure there are no issues with the 27-year-old when it comes to the spring. That will keep the captain fresh and ready for playoffs. There is no reason to rush him back into the lineup, for another reason. The Maple Leafs have been playing very well with Matthews out of the lineup. In the six games where they missed him, they only suffered one loss and won the remaining five contests. That improves the Leafs record to 40-20-2 all-time without the former Hart Trophy winner.
Many players have begun to step up and lead the team on the ice. On the top of that list is three-time all-star Mitch Marner. In Marner’s last six games without Matthews, he’s put up remarkable numbers. He’s scored four goals and recorded a total of 10 points in the absence of his dynamic partner. This is a contract year for Marner and in this little stretch, he’s proved that he can carry a line and lead his team to victory. A great example of this was in Toronto’s dramatic win against the Edmonton Oilers. In overtime, he defended a two-on-one chance with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid attacking him. He then took the puck the other way and fired it past goaltender Stuart Skinner, and won the game for the Leafs.
Main Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images
