Reports Surrounding Maple Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Overwhelmingly Positive

Matthews did not partake in the Leafs' morning skate on Friday, which was a good indication that he would not be playing against the Detroit Red Wings coming out of the break.

The 27-year-old re-aggravated his upper-body injury last Friday against the Buffalo Sabres, keeping him out of the Leafs' final stretch of games prior to the Christmas break.

Following practice on Friday, head coach Craig Berube confirmed that Matthews would not be playing Friday night and added that he would also sit out Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. He did, however, also confirm that Matthews was doing a lot better when he spoke with the media after practice.

Although the Leafs and Matthews have an understanding about managing his injury, the concern among fans is that the Leafs should shut down their captain until he is fully healthy to avoid risking further injury ahead of the playoffs.

When Matthews missed 9 games in November with an undisclosed upper-body injury, fans were hopeful that he would return at 100-percent. That has not been the case, unfortunately, as Matthews himself admitted he wasn't 100-percent when he returned.

Thankfully, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported on Friday evening that the holiday break did Matthews some good, that the reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner is feeling better and that there is no structural damage when it comes to his injury.

With teams now aware of where and when Matthews' injury was recently re-aggrivated, it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that the Leafs will be cautious and will do whatever they can to help Matthews manage his injury moving forward.