Keefe: Matthews has been playing through injury 'virtually all season'

You'd never expect it given his blazing start to the season, but Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe says Auston Matthews has been playing through injury for pretty much all of 2020-21 so far. Following the Leafs 2-1 overtime win over Calgary Wednesday night, Keefe told reporters that Matthews has a wrist injury.

"We'll see how he is. (The training staff) will continue to take care of him and monitor it," Keefe said. "We don't think it's anything more at this point than what he's been dealing with virtually all season."

It's not clear whether this is related, but Matthews decided to sit out the All-Star game last season to deal with an ongoing wrist issue. He did attend the festivities related to the game.

Matthews currently leads the league with 18 goals and has recorded a total of 31 points in just 20 games. He had assists on both of William Nylander's goals in Toronto's victory Wednesday, making him just the third player in Maple Leafs history to notch a point in at least 18 of his first 20 contests in a season. Baby Dye (1921-22) and Darryl Sittler (1975-76) are the other two.