Auston Matthews News

Matthews was on the ice briefly for Thursday's morning skate but left the ice and will not be available for Thursday's game vs. Winnipeg. With Matthews out, John Tavares will move up to the top line with Mitch Marner and Alex Galchenyuk.

Matthews has missed the last two games with a wrist issue but will play Wednesday in Edmonton. Mathews, who has 18 goals and 13 assists (31 points) in 20 games this season, will skate with Joe Thornton and Mitch Marner.

Matthews has been dealing with a hand injury and missed Friday’s practice, making him questionable for Saturday’s game. Friday was believed to be more maintenance-related, so expect him to play in the battle of MVP candidates.

Head coach Sheldon Keefe is "not too concerned" with Matthews' upper-body injury. He told reporters Matthews was a possibility to play tonight but just wasn't feeling completely right, so they'll be cautious early in the season. With Matthews and Joe Thornton both out, the Maple Leafs will be without ⅔ of their top-line vs. the Oilers. Adam Brooks is expected to draw in to replace Matthews in some capacity.

Matthews attended the All-Star weekend but did not play, but anticipates playing Monday vs. the Predators. Following Sunday's practice, Matthews said his wrist "isn't 100 percent" but will play anyways. Matthews enters play with 15 goals and eight assists (23 points) in his last 15 games.

Matthews was set to become a restricted free-agent this summer but signed through 2023-24 with an $11.634M cap-hit. Matthews has had a strong season, scoring 23 goals on 121 shots (19.0 SH%) with 23 assists (46 points) in 38 games. Matthews has broken through as one of the best goal-scorers in the league but continues to have a difficult time staying healthy—missing 20 games last season and 14 so far this year.

Matthews has missed the last 14 games with a shoulder injury but will be back tonight vs. the Sharks. With Matthews back, Frederik Gauthier will be a healthy scratch. In his first seven games, Matthews had 16 points (10G / 6A) but was held pointless in the next four games. Matthews will likely be back between Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen.

The Maple Leafs don’t want to rush their star centre back, so they will wait for him to get through a full-contact practice before he returns to the lineup. Matthews will miss at least three games, so his next opportunity to return to practice is next Tuesday.

Matthews was forced to leave Saturday’s game with an apparent left shoulder injury following a heavy collision with Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba. Matthews missed 20 games last season with two separate “upper-body” injuries and a right shoulder injury that cost him 10 games in March. This is obviously a huge blow to the Maple Leafs lineup as the third-year centre had 10 goals and six assists (16 points) in his first 11 games. Nazem Kadri will step up into a bigger role with Matthews sidelined and this puts added pressure on GM Kyle Dubas to get a deal done with RFA William Nylander.

Matthews has been out since February 22nd but will return Thursday in Nashville. Matthews has had a strong season and the Maple Leafs did well without him. The 20-year-old has registered 28 goals and 22 assists (50 points) in 53 games this season.

Matthews was once again on the ice on Monday, but he has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas. However, head coach Mike Babcock said that he could “become an option to get back in at some point after that.” If he isn’t playing Wednesday vs. the Stars it seems unlikely that he will play in Buffalo on Thursday, but Saturday’s game vs. Montreal seems like a possibility.

Matthews will miss his sixth straight game with an upper-body injury despite practicing throughout the week. His next chance to return is Wednesday vs. the Stars or Thursday in Buffalo.