Maple Leafs Shut Down Auston Matthews Again

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Auston Matthews for a sixth consecutive game.

Nov 3, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) looks on during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing without their captain for almost two weeks, and that will continue to be the case. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Maple Leafs will take on the Edmonton Oilers without Auston Matthews, who is still dealing with an upper-body injury.

Matthews has missed the last five Maple Leafs contests and is expected to miss at least one more.

Auston Matthews won’t be available for tomorrow’s game vs the Oilers. Given the Leafs schedule the extra time off aligns with Toronto’s focus to get their captain 100% healthy.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 15, 2024

The focus for the Maple Leafs has been to make sure Matthews fully recovers to 100% and doesn’t have any carryover problems in the near future. Their upcoming schedule plays in their favor that he may not miss too many more contests.

Following their meeting with the Oilers, the Maple Leafs will have just one game in the next seven days, and just four in the final two weeks of November. That slow pace helps get Matthews back to 100% while missing the fewest amount of games possible.

Dreger’s colleague Chris Johnston said on Insider Trading that Matthews’ recovery is moving in the right direction, but there is hope that he will return with no lingering problems.

“There is a feeling that when he does return he will be completely over this issue,” Johnston said. “This rest period will basically eliminate this issue entirely.”

Matthews has had a slower start than normal through his first 13 games as Maple Leafs captain with just five goals and six assists for 11 total points. The Maple Leafs are 10-6-2 on the year and have gone 4-1-0 without Matthews in the lineup.

The goals and expectations for the Maple Leafs are as elevated as ever for the 2024-25 season. With eight years of playoff disappointments behind them, Matthews and the Maple Leafs hope it doesn’t reach a ninth straight failure.

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