Maple Leafs Analyst Raises Concern About Auston Matthews' Lingering Injury Issues
The Toronto Maple Leafs have welcomed captain Auston Matthews back into the lineup, but one analyst believes he's nowhere near back to 100% yet.
Despite injury issues this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have continued to excel, but the health concerns of captain Auston Matthews could be something that hinders them in a big way.
While No. 34 is back on the ice for Toronto, he hasn't appeared to be back to 100% yet, with Maple Leafs analyst Joshua Kloke of The Athletic raising those concerns on a recent episode of Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
«I wonder if there's something nagging him like an injury.
He looked like he was slower than normal last night.
I mean, the backcheck on the one goal, doesn't that get other players benched for a few shifts.
Doesn't that effort get a fourth liner stapled to the bench for the rest of the period?«
He looked like he was slower than normal last night.
I mean, the backcheck on the one goal, doesn't that get other players benched for a few shifts.
Doesn't that effort get a fourth liner stapled to the bench for the rest of the period?«
The play in question was a goal from Sam Steel, in which you can clearly see that Matthews, who is usually fairly quick on the ice failed to keep up with the Dallas star as he went on to score an impressive goal.
This is something that was addressed by Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube, who noted that Matthews wasn't on the ice on Friday for maintenance as they look to work through this lingering issue.
«It's tough. He's fighting through it, and he's doing a pretty good job out there on the ice. He's producing, playing hard, and working. We just have to manage it. It'll get better. That's why he's off the ice today.»
Ultimately, the team now has to decide whether or not Matthews is better than his potential replacement if he needs to spend a game or two resting, and if he is, he'll likely continue until it either becomes too bad to handle or until it gets better.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that Auston Matthews is back to 100% after his return? | ||
| Yes | 12 | 8.6 % |
| No | 127 | 91.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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