The Toronto Maple Leafs have excelled in 2024/25, and they've done it for the most part with Auston Matthews sidelined, as the captain has already missed 11 of the team's 35 games due to an upper-body injury.
On top of that, he recently reaggravated that injury, missing the final two games before the holiday break, and now according to David Alter, he's set to miss more time moving forward.
That was confirmed by Head Coach Craig Berube, who revealed that No. 34 will be out for Friday and Saturday's game, with the team set to reevaluate things after the back-to-back over the weekend.
It's unclear exactly what the injury is at this point, with Matthews's return to the team not seeing him get back to 100%, and now, he's going to be sidelined for some more time.
In his absence, the team's other biggest stars in Mitch Marner and William Nylander have stepped up in a big way, with the team sitting at 21-12-2 after 35 games, putting them right in position to chase a Stanley Cup.
From the outset, there's been little clarity about the injury from the Maple Leafs, with Matthews' condition not revealed to the public, and now it appears as though he was rushed back way too early.
Ultimately though, the team's biggest goal this season is a Stanley Cup, so the team will continue to be patient as the season rolls on as they need him at 100% when the Playoffs roll around, so expect Toronto to allow him all the time he needs to get healthy.
POLL | ||
Will Auston Matthews play more than 60 games in 2024/25? | ||
Yes | 43 | 14.9 % |
No | 246 | 85.1 % |
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