There is a chance the Toronto Maple Leafs might be without their biggest offensive weapon.
Forward Auston Matthews was noticeably absent from the team’s morning skate on Thursday in the lead-up to the team’s matchup with the Washington Capitals.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it was revealed after the skate that the 26-year-old is a game-time decision due to an illness.
Matthews had already missed a game earlier this season due to an illness, coming back on Dec. 16 in a contest that saw the Leafs beat up the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-0.
Matthews is having an incredible 2023-24 campaign. The first-overall pick in 2016 was the first player to hit 50 goals this season, and leads the league with 59, scoring in Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
After being banged up for parts of the last few seasons, but has been relatively healthy this year, missing just that one game earlier this season. In 70 games, the California native has registered 93 points, sitting eighth in the NHL in scoring, one point back of teammate William Nylander for the team lead.
Matthews is currently in the final year of a five-year contract with an AAV of $11,640,250. His four-year deal with a $13.25 million cap hit is set to kick in next season.
It will be interesting to see how much work players like Matthews and Nylander get in the final 11 games of the regular season, as Toronto is well on its way to clinching a berth in the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, but don’t have the best odds of catching either the Boston Bruins or Florida Panthers for second place.
The Maple Leafs (40-22-9) sit third in the Atlantic, eight points back of the Panthers for second, and 10 behind the Bruins for first.
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