March 19: Matthews underwent successful surgery to repair his MCL tear today in New York City, the team announced. The procedure carries a 12-week recovery timeline, meaning he shouldn’t have any issue hitting the ground running for training camp in the fall.
March 13: After sustaining a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim’s Radko Gudas on Thursday night, the Maple Leafs won’t have their captain down the stretch. The team announced (Twitter link) that center Auston Matthews will miss the remainder of the season due to a Grade Three MCL tear. He will be reevaluated in two weeks and a further update will be provided at that time.
The injury brings a premature end to what has been a tough season for the 28-year-old. After lingering injuries slowed Matthews down off and on at times last season, the hope was that he’d come into this year fully healthy and get back to the level that saw him win three Rocket Richard trophies for the most goals in four years. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, they were counting on him to be able to shoulder more of the load offensively.
However, that hasn’t happened. In between dealing with a pair of short-term lower-body injuries, Matthews saw his production drop even further this season. After putting up 78 points in 63 games in 2024-25, he was limited to just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 outings this season. His goal earlier in Friday’s game snapped a 12-game goalless drought, allowing him to avoid tying his career-long stretch in that regard, set back in his rookie season back in 2016-17. Instead of leading the way offensively, Matthews finds himself fourth in team scoring and will likely stay there with Oliver Ekman-Larsson (who’s fifth) being 18 points behind.
Matthews has two years remaining on his current contract, one that carries a $13.25MM AAV that was briefly the richest in NHL history. It’s fair to say that Toronto hasn’t received fair value on that agreement so far given his reduction in production over the past two years. They’ll have to hope that the extended time off before next season will help spur his offense forward in the second half of the agreement.
His absence could also have an impact in the draft lottery. Toronto will retain its first-round pick if they land in the top five of the draft after the lottery. (If they pick outside that range, the selection goes to Boston.) The Maple Leafs are tied for eighth-last in the league right now, five points ahead of St. Louis, which is currently 28th. However, without their number one center in the lineup down the stretch, they could be primed to fall a little further in the standings.
Meanwhile, Gudas had a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety earlier today as part of the supplemental discipline process. That will cap a potential suspension at no more than five games. With Anaheim in action both Saturday and Sunday, a decision on that front should come before too long.
I think he’s been injured all year, but I also think Berube’s system has killed his production. And with the fact that he took that hit and no one on his team stood up for him which is inexcusable I wouldn’t be surprised if he quietly suggested a trade this offseason.
Where do you think he’d end up? My guess is LA.
I wouldn’t be surprised either, and it would probably make the most sense for him personally to move on. But, I wonder if Auston will come to the realization at some point that this is the team culture that he has directly cultivated or at least heavily fostered over the past nine years.
Matthews is a California native, Anaheim, And, San Jose have the cap space, And assets to make a solid offer, I do think it will be a Western Conference team.
You cant blame a singular person for a entire culture problem. The fans are pretty brutal there as well
I agree 100%, I blame the media, The fan base, And, The clueless management team for most of the issues.
Agreed. Not even a leafs fan but they ran Marner out the building and blamed him for being a locker room problem now theyre just shifting blame. There didnt seem to be a Matthews culture problem on the olympic team
San Jose can build a package around Misa; Utah & Seattle both could enter the bidding (if there is one) with some strong young players, too. The Leafs should definitely turn their focus to the 2028 FA field…
Yes also he don’t have marner type player that is skilled playmaker which is hard like it feel Matthew is close to Danny Heatley type
Please come to Detroit… would some combo of (5); 2-3 picks and a youngster or two with Cossa/Augustine, work?
Maybe add Rasmussen because he’s been pretty irrelevant, can fill a roster spot, and his cap hit would likely be a useful inclusion.
Matthews/Larkin could be dangerous
AM is from AZ, not CÁ.
@Ace you have an offer from the Flyers? They will def be interested & have the assets needed.
Why would we trade Misa for an underperforming player who may have just had a career-ending injury? Are you on crack?
I don’t think it’s a career ending injury. 2-3 months rehab for full recovery.
It’s always tough to say with knees. Sometimes once they’re shot, they’re shot.
Matthew’s is from Arizona
I think the Flyers are a dark horse trade candidate as I think other teams could offer more. The Flyers have no good young centers they can offer and I don’t see them willing to trade Martone. I think at best what they can offer is Michkov, Luchenko/Nesbitt, and a few firsts. Maybe include Bonk if they want a young defensive prospect, but I think he is more of a number 3 or 4 defenseman. I don’t know if that gets it done.
Technically born in CA, raised in AZ.
Auston Matthews has played his FINAL game with the Maple Loops.
Shouldn’t have scored that goal dude. Now you pay the price…
Brutal news. Hopefully he can avoid surgery.
If the Leafs don’t call up some Marlies and go after Gudas all night on March 30th they truly are a lost franchise. Show even a semblance of heart and pride.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Auston Matthews is the new Elias Pettersson.
well that’s just stupid. you clearly have no idea about who those two players are
You clearly have no idea what narratives are. Check back this time next year.
If you are trying to be amusingly wrong, you are nailing it.
Elias was paid for what he could be. AM was paid for what he is. If you mean they both share shaken confidence. That’s about as close as they get.
Gudas is a POS. Claimed Crosby and Matthews now.
The next Matthews headline will be this summer, His house is on the market.
He belongs in a US market
Get him out of Toronto ASAP. He would look great in Florida
Why? Does that weird mustache (that looks like something SNL glued on someone’s face two seconds before the last sketch of the night) look better in Florida?
Florida has little to offer tho…
Slides in to replace Kopitar. Mathews-Panarin could be a great duo.
The kings are not good. They will be the next Vancouver.
Well that truly sucks. The only positive is that this happened after the Olympics and he got his Gold Medal (thank you, Papi!). Heal up #34.
I bet the leaf’s winning percentage will be better without him.
the fact that Gudas is a former Panther probably boils Toronto blood lol
The Leafs 2026 1st round pick belongs to Boston, but it’s top 5 protected. The most Leafs thing ever is for Boston to miss the playoffs and receive the 15th overall pick, Toronto to receive the 5th pick, thus retaining their pick, but then for Boston to win the draft lottery and move from 15th to 5th, pushing the Leafs from 5th to 6th and resulting in Boston picking 5th and 6th and renewing their franchise at the Leafs’ expense. Curb Your Enthusiasm theme plays
All you to know no response from teammates. Touch McDavid / Crosby things happen. Anyone who thinks Mathews was actual leader at Olympics is kidding themselves. Best player is not always best leader.
Says more about the team than Matthews.
New to hockey?
As much as LA makes sense as the Kopitar era comes to an end. I could see a package of Laff, Fox and 1st rounder being a package they take from NYR.
I also expect Carolina to be aggressive and perhaps maybe the Mammoth. I know management will be reluctant to deal him within the conference but they need to take the best package out there.
Fox would not waive if he knew Matthews was coming to NYR.
I don’t think GMs have to disclose trade details, just whether or not the player would waive his NMC to go there. Not 100% on that.
Either way, why would he want to go there?
Why did Panarin want to go to NYR when NYR was not really a cup competitor when he signed?
Because they gave him basically a record setting contract and he wanted to go to New York. Toronto is a crap show and headed in the wrong direction. Plus, Fox asked to go to New York. He has no ties to Toronto. I doubt he’d waive for them no matter what.
AM to the Flyers for Martone & 2 1st rd picks (1 being their own from the Laughton trade last yr). Gonna keep throwing it out there.
As much as I covet Martone, they can get more than that.
Well, it will be interesting how the Leafs perform without him. The team reaction to the hit was rather telling…
Maybe they’ll even be better – although management would hate that. They really want them to finish in the top five draft picks (which makes the strange deadline even more incomprehensible).
Hintz and Robertson and 2027 1st for Matthews and Knies
Oh, Matthews only waives to Dallas, making this return justifiable.
I feel like this would hinge on what they can extend Robertson for. I also feel like the team would be gutted if they trade Hintz. Lots of Fins.
Be interesting to scroll back and call out by name all those chowderheads who spent a couple years bleating about how Marner was the real problem, and that he was nothing without Matthews.
Anyone who had eyeballs could tell you he was never the problem. However a propensity of underperforming in the playoffs lead to inevitable pressure, and possibly his departure. He deserved better.