The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the midst of one of their worst games in a long time, and they desperately need reinforcements to get back into the lineup if they want to get out of it. Auston MatthewsThe absence is shaping up to be particularly significant, and with several days off following Saturday night’s loss to Montreal, many believed the Maple Leafs could get their superstar center back Wednesday night in Columbus.
However, if Tuesday’s practice was any indication, it appears they will have to wait a little longer for the captain’s return, as team reporter Jonas Siegel provided an update that Matthews remained in a gray jersey, indicating there is an additional player who will not be playing.
Siegel wrote:
“Auston Matthews skates in the gray jersey designated for extra players during today’s Leafs practice. Suggests he won’t play in Columbus on Wednesday night,”
The 28-year-old has played just seventeen games this season, producing fourteen points (nine goals and five assists).
When Auston Matthews returns remains unclear
While Craig Berube didn’t officially rule Matthews out on Wednesday, all signs point to his sixth consecutive missed game, so it’s fair to wonder what’s really going on.
TSN insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger were confident he would be back by now, and they specifically said if he wasn’t, eyebrows would be raised.
His multiple stints on the shelf last season lasted longer than anyone expected, and that has happened again with this lower-body injury at the start of the new season.
The fact that he has been skating and participating in practices is positive, but with back-to-backs in Washington and Pittsburgh next on the schedule, are they going to throw him straight into the fire? This will be followed by a game against the physical Florida Panthers. Is that really the match you want to return from injury for?
That’s all, speculatively speaking, but this started day by day, then it was said to last a week, and yet here we are over two weeks later with more questions than answers.
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