Auston Matthews Has MCL Surgery

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews had MCL surgery. He didn’t wait long to decide that having surgery on his left knee was the faster option for recovery.

One week into the 14-day assessment period of the Grade 3 tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee, the team announced on Thursday that Matthews had already undergone an operation at a medical facility in New York. The repair surgery was deemed successful with an approximate recovery time of 12 weeks.

That time frame would put Matthews back on the ice sometime in mid to late July. This will give the Maple Leafs captain enough time to do his usual summer workout in Scottsdale, Arizona. A month of workouts in August should be enough time to prepare for returning to Toronto in September for training camp and pre-season action.

The injury to Matthews is the result of a knee-on-knee hit by Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks. There is outrage in Toronto from fans and management alike over the perceived light sentence given to Gudas by the league. He received a five-game suspension for kneeing. A few more games could have been warranted, as it had given way to concern for Matthews’ condition.

Before the surgery announcement on Thursday, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was taking part in the team’s Fan Day. He had the following to say about Matthews: “I saw him at our last game here (Tuesday morning), and he seems okay (mentally).”