Auston Matthews Absence Prompts Response From Maple Leafs Coach

Max Domi slid into the middle of the second line with Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson on his wings, while John Tavares centered William Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok in the first line.

Matthews, 28, entered camp emphasizing how strong he felt after an injury-shortened season in which he was limited to 67 games.

“Health-wise, I’m feeling really good,” Matthews said earlier this month. “I had a good summer. I did a lot of things that put me in a position to come into training camp feeling really good. So, I’m really happy about that.”

The Leafs captain, who dropped to 33 goals last year after scoring a league-leading 69 the season before, said the opening skates reinforced his confidence.

“I’m super happy with how I feel and just how the first two days have gone,” Matthews said. “That’s all you can ask for. Once you get back into this kind of feeling, you want to respond and feel really good, and I definitely have.”

Matthews has spent much of camp with Knies and Matias Maccelli, with Domi expected to slot in on his right wing once fully healthy, although without much clarity yet about who will end up playing first-line right wing for the Leafs this season.

No matter who ends up on that role, the Leafs superstar said building chemistry is his focus with under two weeks for the start of the regular season.

“I think the biggest key is just kind of communicating with the guys as a line individually,” Matthews said.

Toronto will close the preseason with back-to-back games against the Detroit Red Wings this week before opening the season on Oct. 8 against the Canadiens.