Leafs' Auston Matthews Puts Injury Issues Behind Him, Spotted Back on the Ice With Another NHL Star
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski | Imagn images
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews appears to have put last season's injury woes behind him as he has resumed skating with another NHL star.
Last season, Auston Matthews struggled from the start, scoring just five times in the Leafs' first 13 games. While that doesn't sound all that bad, many noticed that he was missing shots and scoring opportunities that were automatic one season earlier, when he scored 69 goals, leading to speculation that something was wrong.
The 27-year-old and Maple Leafs were very tight-lipped about specifics of his injury, but head coach Craig Berube accidentally revealed in December that Matthews re-aggravated his injury after taking a cross-check to the back against the Buffalo Sabres.
No one ever confirmed it, but an injury to his back made sense given his less explosive skating and shot power. At one point, the injury even forced the Team USA captain to miss a game of the 4-Nations Face-off.
Auston Matthews Says Injury Won't Carry Over to Next Season
After another heartbreaking and rather embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, Matthews
discussed his injury issues, stating that it had been nagging him since last year's training camp, but expects to be 100-percent healthy when the new training camp begins this season.
Fast forward to Friday, and Matthews appears to have put the injury troubles behind him as he has resumed skating in Arizona.
Matthews was seen on the ice with Utah Mammoth forward and very good friend
Clayton Keller, which, as former Arizona Coyotes reporter Craig Morgan noted, has become an annual tradition for the pair.
Without
Mitch Marner, Matthews will be looked at to get back to his 2023-24 form where he scored 69 goals and 107 points. To do that, though, the former first-overall pick will have to make his health a priority and the Leafs will need to take a harder stance on his availability if something does indeed begin to 'nag' him.
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