Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews avoided a serious lower-body injury when he left Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins following a heavy hit from Nikita Zadorov. He’s been given a day-to-day designation but has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Kings with another absence or two expected after that, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Starting goalie Anthony Stolarz also left that contest with an upper-body issue and has also landed a day-to-day designation and won’t play against the Kings, per TSN’s Mark Masters, but hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday against the Blackhawks. With backup Joseph Woll still working his way back to playing shape in the minors on a conditioning stint, Toronto announced they’ve recalled netminder Artur Akhtyamov from AHL Toronto to backup third-stringer Dennis Hildeby tonight. Center Scott Laughton was placed on injured reserve in the corresponding move.
The injury is another speed bump in what’s been another slow start from Matthews. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen his chance generation numbers drop significantly since his generational 69-goal season in 2023-24. In 17 appearances this season, he’s managed nine goals and 14 points. That’s a better pace than last year’s extreme fall-off that only saw him tally 33 markers in 67 appearances, but it’s still well below his career-average pace of 0.63 goals per game.
Luckily for the Leafs, their other stars have more than picked up the slack and helped them stay somewhat afloat at .500 despite faltering defense and goaltending. Matthew Knies and John Tavares are both flirting with 100-point paces early on, while William Nylander sits sixth in league scoring with 24 points despite missing three games with a lower-body issue.
But while Matthews was still one of the league’s most dominant two-way centers during last year’s scoring slump, the same can’t be said in the early going in 2025-26. He’s winning a career-best 59% of his faceoffs, but his possession metrics have faltered. The Leafs are only controlling 47.5% of shot attempts and 48% of expected goals with Matthews on the ice at even strength, the first time in his 10-year career that either number has been below 50%.
Nonetheless, Tavares’ resurgence, Nylander’s dominance, and Knies’ continued breakout should help the Leafs weather the storm for a few days. They’re expected to load up the top line with those three, at least for tonight, per Masters.
As for Stolarz, a reset – injury-related or not – is needed. The career elite backup/tandem option has been overtaxed with Woll unavailable, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances this season, Stolarz’s .884 SV% ranks 22nd out of 25 names, and his -5.3 goals saved above expected rank 23rd, per MoneyPuck.
Tonight will thus mark Hildeby’s fourth appearance in the last six days. He entered in relief of Stolarz against Boston twice, first on Nov. 8 and then on Tuesday, while starting in a 5-4 loss to the Hurricanes on Nov. 9. Despite his 0-2-0 record, he’s been the best goalie Toronto’s had to offer this season in his limited sample. He’s logged a .909 SV% and 3.74 GAA on 88 shots faced, good for 2.1 goals saved above expected behind the Leafs’ porous defense. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of what he showed in last year’s limited NHL stint, when he had a .872 mark in six showings with a 3-3-0 record.
If Akhtyamov is forced into action, it would be his NHL debut. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Toronto back in 2020 and is now in his second season in North America. After a decent rookie showing for the Marlies last year, he’s taken a step back with a .894 SV% and 2.82 GAA in six games to start this year, but still has a 4-2-0 record.
Meanwhile, Laughton is on his second injury-related absence of the season. He missed the first 13 games of the year with a lower-body injury and sustained an upper-body issue in just his second game back against the Bruins. Since his IR placement is retroactive to Nov. 8, he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game plus Saturday’s game against Chicago, but will be eligible to come off IR next Tuesday against the Blues.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
I can’t say for certain by any means but it almost feels like Auston Matthews doesn’t want to be in Toronto or at the very least is second guessing his decision to have re-upped on an extension. I know last season injuries rather plagued him but injuries haven’t this season so far (until recently) but he just doesn’t seem motivated this season or last season despite the injuries.
I could see at some point during his extension timeframe that a potential trade possibility could emerge for him to leave Toronto. It just seems that way but I guess only time will tell.
Honestly, the entire team doesn’t appear motivated this year. Maybe that starts with Matthews as the captain, who knows. But by all accounts he loves living in Toronto and he seems to genuinely relish what comes with wearing the C for a storied franchise.
If they miss the playoffs this year, and get out to another bad start next season? Yeah in that situation I could see a change of heart. He’s in his prime and wants a shot at a Cup. Maybe he eventually follows his buddy Marner to Vegas lol. That would be something.
I don’t know if I could say the entire team looks unmotivated as guys like Nylander, Tavares, Knies & such seem to be having strong seasons. Honestly, the Atlantic division is arguably the tightest division in the NHL. But my point is strictly on Matthews though, who seems to be the standout as the one not motivated.
Yeah, I know he lives in Toronto during the season & reportedly he does like the city of Toronto but in the summer he lives in Arizona. Everyone knows the culture is tough, if not, toxic in Toronto which I think wears on certain players (you could see it in Marner for example). You look at Mitch Marner in Vegas, you can tell just in his body language that he’s happier now than he was the last few years in Toronto.
It just feels like Matthews is gradually falling into that Marner category. I think if things don’t improve in Toronto this season into next season, I could see Matthews wanting to go home and play in the west whether it’s with the Los Angeles Kings (which I think would be his preferred choice), Vegas Golden Knights or even the Utah Mammoth. Just saying.
Matthews could go down the Marner path, sure. I think until now, his performance and way of dealing with the media has, rightly, allowed him to escape that level of vitriol. Leaf fans always seem to need a whipping boy though. It doesn’t seem like Tavares or Nylander will wear that title this year (they’ve played great as you noted) and one can only heap so much blame on complimentary players like Brandon Carlo or Max Domi – although Leaf fans are trying their best lol.
For better or worse, this is 100% Matthews’ team now. I’m not convinced he’s the emotional leader that group needs to get over the hump (pains me to say it, but Brad Marchand would’ve been perfect for them) and I think the team peaked last year.
The expectations over time have gone from ‘winning a round’ to ‘winning 2 rounds’ to now, it appears, ‘just making the playoffs’. Matthews hasn’t had to deal with that type of backwards slide from the team around him and that’ll be a real test of his leadership.