Auston Matthews injured, will miss significant time

When the Leafs took to the ice for Morning Skate today, there was a very noticeable absence. Auston Matthews did not join the rest of the Leafs as they prepared for tonight's matchup against the Ottawa Senators. According to a release from Leafs PR, Matthews will miss a significant chunk of time with a knee sprain.

Matthews has missed time in the past with wrist and shoulder injuries as well as nagging back issues, but this is the first time the 60-goal scorer has had any type of significant lower body issue. According to the PR, the injury occurred during the Leafs' Wednesday night OT win against the Rangers. This would suggest that is it separate from the injury that held Matthews out of the Leafs' lineup in mid-January.

The Leafs have done a fantastic job of stepping up in the absence of some of their top players already this season, but losing Matthews is a major blow. The Leafs are all but locked into 2nd in the Atlantic, so there is no need to panic just yet. What' important now is making sure that when the playoffs do roll around, the reigning Hart, Lindsay and Rocket Richard Trophy winner is fully healthy.