In an interview with The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews revealed that he had been playing through a hand injury this season.
Earlier this month, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said Matthews had played “through some injuries and things that have hampered him” but didn’t get into specifics. The revelations come during a season that has seen Matthews miss seven games and being on pace for just under 40 goals, a big drop from his league-leading 60-goal season a year ago. The 25-year-old forward edged Connor McDavid for the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award as league MVP thanks to breaking the 60-goal threshold.
“I think my hand and everything has been feeling a lot better, just stronger," Matthews said.
It was visibly noticeable when watching him play this season. He’s averaging just 12.6 shot attempts per 60 minutes, a decent drop from the nearly 14 he was taking during his dominant campaign a year ago.
“It just felt like something was off,” Matthews told Siegel. “I just felt like not completely, like I wasn’t able to do exactly what I wanted to at times.”
Despite the struggles in comparison, Matthews’ 31 goals trail only William Nylander (35) for the team lead, and his 67 points put him third behind Mitch Marner (85) and Nylander (79). Matthews’ ice time (20:02) is the lowest it’s been since 2018-19, and his overall shooting percentage of 12.4 is the lowest of his career – he had 17.2 last year and 18.5 the year before. He has won the Rocket Richard twice in his career, grabbing it for the first time in 2021 when he had 41 goals in 52 games during the COVID-19-shortened season.
In other Leafs news, Ryan O’Reilly returned to practice after breaking a finger on, ironically, a shot from Matthews. GM Kyle Dubas said O’Reilly is expected to return before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Luke Schenn also returned to practice after spending time in Vancouver with his wife after the birth of their baby.
The Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 40-18-8 record. They’re 6-4-0 over the past 10 games, and recently gave up a two-goal lead to Buffalo in a loss on Monday. Toronto will host Colorado Wednesday night before closing off the week with bouts against Carolina and Ottawa.
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