Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Issues Return Date from Mysterious Injury

For the first time since leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on Nov. 3, Auston Matthews addressed the media on Saturday. Matthews, having returned from Europe where he went had his mysterious injury treated in Germany, offering some insights into the problems that have sidelined him for nearly three weeks. The Leafs’ captain appeared upbeat speaking after skating on his own for the first time since Nov. 10 in the Maple Leafs facilities.

“From where I was at up to now, I feel night and day, a lot better,” Matthews said, per The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke. While the team has referred to the issue only as an “upper-body injury,” Matthews revealed that it flared up during preseason and lingered into the regular season. “I thought it was time to take a step back, re-evaluate, and take it day by day,” Matthews said. “It hasn’t necessarily gotten worse, but it wasn’t really getting better.” Matthews spent five days in Germany consulting a doctor he had worked with before. He described the specialist as “very smart” and someone who “has been around for a long time.” “I wanted to just get it taken care of now,” Matthews said. “I think the mistake I’ve made before is coming back too soon. “You feel good, but you’re not quite ready, and then it prolongs the issue. This time, I want to be mindful and make sure I’m as close to 100 percent as possible before getting back into games.” With that said, and touching on his impending return, Matthews ruled himself out for Sunday’s matchup against the Utah Hockey Club but floated Wednesday’s game against the Florida Panthers as a possibility. “We’ll just see how the week goes,” Matthews said. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) looks on during a stoppage of play. Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images The Leafs have gone 6-1 without their captain, despite dealing with injuries to several key forwards, having placed six on IR ahead of Sunday’s contest. “That’s been really encouraging,” Matthews said. “It’s tough not being out there, but I feel a lot better now. “I’m just going to continue to progress over the next few days.”