Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Out for Multiple Games

Losing any player to the IR is a frustrating situation, but it’s even more concerning when the captain becomes plagued by injury. Concerns were immediately raised when Matthews exited the Toronto-Boston game during the second period, but the severity of the situation wasn’t clear.

Fortunately, Matthews’ injury isn’t considered to be serious, but after colliding with Bruins' defenseman Nikita Zadorov as hard as he did, this could have been an entirely different outcome. Needless to say, luck was on his side.

Although Matthews' injury isn't too serious, he will still be out for multiple games. According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, the 28-year-old forward will be out of commission for at least one week as he recovers from his lower-body injury. The detailed nature of the injury has not been disclosed at the time of this writing.

This adds yet another injury to Toronto's plate, leaving them in quite a predicament.

Maple Leafs Must Step Up

Without Matthews, Toronto will be forced to play without its leader on the ice while they take on the Los Angeles Kings (8-5) tonight. The Kings are entering the matchup at No. 7 in the Western Conference and stand at No. 12 overall. This will not be an easy matchup for the Maple Leafs to take on without their captain present.

Matthews' absence on the ice will be apparent, particularly considering that he's one of the Maple Leafs' leading scorers and holds the helm at No. 1 for plus/minus ratings (+9). So far during his 2025-26 NHL campaign, he has recorded nine goals and five assists, amassing 14 points across 17 games.

Losing Matthews is certainly not ideal, but if he can take this week to recover, hopes are held high that he will be able to return sooner rather than later. Until then, Toronto will need to swiftly fill in the gaps and step up its play.