The Real Reason Auston Matthews Hasn't Returned From His Injury Exposed by NHL Insider
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without their captain Auston Matthews, and now we know why his return has been delayed for so long.
For the past week, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been without captain Auston Matthews, with his last game coming on November 3 against the Minnesota Wild. The early diagnosis on his situation was that he would miss a game or two and be back, but then, the team would go to place him on Injured Reserve, raising major questions about his status moving forward.
When asked about the situation, Head Coach Craig Berube revealed that it was an injury that dated back to pre-season bothering Matthews, and that the team were being patient, looking to get him back to 100% before a return.
That's not the only reason his return has been delayed however, as Insider Chris Johnston recently noted that the packed schedule of the Maple Leafs has made it difficult to get No. 34 back into the lineup.
In positive news for Toronto, who have posted a 3-1-1 record in their past five games, the hope is that by this weekend, Matthews takes his spot on the top line back as this team looks to kick the 2024/25 season into high gear.
Nothing is guaranteed however, as the team have been playing well in his absence, so if any type of setback occurs, the front office and coaching staff won't hesitate to hold him out for longer, but for now everything is on track for the captain to return.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nick Bjugstad | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Patrick Kane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| John Tavares | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Michael Kesselring | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anze Kopitar | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brett Leason | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Trevor Moore | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anthony Beauvillier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jonatan Berggren | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 16 | 15 | 1 | - | 30 | |
Devils | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
Wild | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 23 | |
Panthers | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 23 | |
Hurricanes | 15 | 11 | 4 | - | 22 | |
Golden Knights | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 22 | |
Maple Leafs | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 22 | |
Capitals | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 21 | |
Kings | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 21 | |
Rangers | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||