Maple Leafs Have No Timetable for Auston Matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not sure when captain Auston Matthews will be back to 100%.

Dec 20, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (23) checks Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) as he goes for the puck during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

For the second time this season, Toronto Maple Leafs superstar forward Auston Matthews is missing time due to an upper-body injury. The Maple Leafs missed their captain for about a month earlier in the season and has now been on the shelf again for five games.

The true extent of the injury pretty is unknown outside of the Maple Leafs organization, but Matthews pulled back the curtain a bit recently. He said it’s not clear if he’ll ever be back to 100% this season.

Obviously, the goal for Matthews is to be at 100% when on the ice, but that may not be an option until the offseason.

The Maple Leafs haven’t ruled out Matthews for their weekend games, but there also isn’t a true timetable set for when he will be cleared to return to game action.

“With Matthews, there’s no timetable, we don’t know what the injury is, and we don’t know if this will happen again,” Marty Biron said on TSN. “He came back from that same injury. He played, and now off again. To me, that is the concerning part.”

Matthews played 11 games between returning and reaggravating his upper-body injury. In that time he scored six goals and six assists for 12 total points, seemingly back to full health.

A cross-check against the Buffalo Sabres is what forced the aggravation, putting taking Matthews out of the lineup. While many have pinpointed the wrist as the focal point of the injury, the Maple Leafs have never officially confirmed that.

“If we knew exactly what it was, we’d have a better idea of what the timetable would be,” Biron said. “Internally, they probably have a better idea, they don’t want anybody to know.”

This injury has taken Matthews out of the lineup for quite a while already and even took him overseas for further evaluation in November. No matter what is or isn’t known to the public, it’s clear Matthews isn’t going to be at 100% for a long time, whether he’s playing or not.

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