Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs retroactively placed their captain Auston Matthews on the Injury Reserve. The player has been sidelined since November 3, meaning he won't be able to return to the lineup until Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators, as players on the IR need to stay out of the lineup for seven days.
However, some good news awaited the Maple Leafs fans on Saturday morning. A few days after Craig Berube's worrying update on Matthews, the player was spotted training on the ice, working mostly on his stickhandling and doing some reps.
The reporter Mark Masters shared a video on X. He noted that Matthews seemed comfortable during his 25-minute practice session on Saturday morning and that a return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Senators would be possible.
Watch his post here:
This is obviously good news for the team. While Matthews hasn't been able to bring his usual offensive production this season, with only 11 points in 13 games, he still brings a lot of leadership to the team.
When he returns from his injury, if he's fully recovered, many hope to see him score more goals than he did in the first stretch of the season.
The Leafs will look to win without Matthews once again tonight, against the Montreal Canadiens. In two games since Matthews left the lineup, Toronto is 2-0 and will hope to get a third straight win to build momentum ahead of the captain's return.
POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 9 | 130 ANSWERS Auston Matthews' Likely Return Date From Recent Injury Hinted At By Top Maple Leafs Analyst Do you think Auston Matthews will return to the lineup next Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators? | ||
Yes | 57 | 43.8 % |
No | 73 | 56.2 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Artemi Panarin | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Vincent Trocheck | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Jesper Bratt | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Nic Dowd | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Jack Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
Alexis Lafrenière | - | 2 | 2 | |
Andre Burakovsky | 1 | - | 1 | |
Luke Hughes | 1 | - | 1 | |
Blake Lizotte | 1 | - | 1 | |
Connor McMichael | 1 | - | 1 | |
Timo Meier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Mathieu Olivier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Aliaksei Protas | 1 | - | 1 | |
Reilly Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
John Tavares | 1 | - | 1 | |
Philip Tomasino | 1 | - | 1 | |
Shane Wright | 1 | - | 1 | |
Zach Aston-Reese | - | 1 | 1 | |
Michael Bunting | - | 1 | 1 | |
Brenden Dillon | - | 1 | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Wild | 25 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 38 | |
Jets | 27 | 19 | 8 | - | 38 | |
Golden Knights | 27 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 37 | |
Capitals | 25 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 36 | |
Devils | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 | |
Hurricanes | 26 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 35 | |
Maple Leafs | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 34 | |
Panthers | 27 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 34 | |
Kings | 26 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 33 | |
Stars | 25 | 16 | 9 | - | 32 | |
Conference | Cumulative |