The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Monday that they will be without star centre Auston Matthews due to injury to begin the season. Matthews, dealing with a wrist injury, won’t play for at least the first three games.
Auston Matthews to Miss at Least Three Games
Meanwhile: TOR announces Auston Matthews will not play this week (3 games) with his wrist injury, and Ilya Mikheyev needs thumb surgery — out approximately 8 weeks.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 11, 2021
Matthews without a doubt features as the most important player on the Leafs roster. The 23-year old scored 41 goals and 66 points last season, in just 52 games. He holds 199 career goals and 351 points in 334 games, all with the Leafs. That 41-goal total last year earned him his first career Richard Trophy, as the league’s top goal scorer. He also finished second in Hart Trophy voting, which is awarded to the league’s most valuable player annually.
In each of his first five seasons in the NHL, Matthews has either won an award or received votes. He won the Calder as the league’s best rookie in 2016-17, was a finalist for the Byng in each of the last two campaigns, and received Selke votes in those campaigns as well. He’s one of the most prolific goal scorers of this generation, and Toronto depends on him night in and night out.
What this Means for the Future
The good news, though, is that this isn’t long-term by any means. Currently, it appears he’ll miss just three games, though it could be more if recovery takes any longer than initially anticipated. The Leafs possess a wealth of high-end scoring talent and will need it to step up in Matthews’ absence. John Tavares likely slots into Matthews’ spot on the first line for the week, with Mitch Marner and Nick Ritchie on his wings. They can weather a few games, but don’t want to rush him back and risk hurting him any further.
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