Yahoo Sports 'Wednesday Possibly, We'll See How the Week Goes': Auston Matthews Explains His Germany Visit and When He May Return To Maple Leafs Lineup
Auston Matthews is hoping that a visit to Germany to see a doctor he had previously consulted will aid in puttin his lingering upper-body injury behind him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs star hit the ice Saturday morning, working with player development consultant Patrick O'Sullivan before the rest of the team took the ice for practice. Matthews ruled himself out for Sunday’s contest against the Utah Hockey Club but expressed optimism about potentially returning Wednesday on the road against the Florida Panthers.
"We'll take it day to day, continue to try to progress on the ice and see how this week looks and feels," Matthews said. "Obviously, I'd love to get out there. I mean, tomorrow, not realistic, but Wednesday possibly, but we'll just see how the week goes."
Matthews has missed Toronto’s last seven games with an upper-body injury. Earlier this week, the team revealed that Matthews traveled to Germany to consult with a doctor he had previously worked with. The Maple Leafs also confirmed collaboration with the same doctor, though the details remain undisclosed.
Following the visit and subsequent week of work, Matthews reported progress.
"It was good to be back, be on the ice a little bit and see the guys and stuff," Matthews said. "I'm feeling a lot better now. Hopefully, we're just going to continue to progress over the next couple of days and kind of see where we’re at."
The exact nature of Matthews’ injury has not been disclosed. In the past, Matthews has played through injuries, but after 13 games this season without improvement, he prioritized addressing the issue. Reflecting on past decisions, such as battling through a wrist injury in 2022-23, Matthews expressed a desire to avoid repeating the same mistake.
"It was getting worse and worse as the game just started to go. And so I wanted to just kind of get it taken care of now," Matthews said. "I think that's, you know, maybe something—I wouldn't call it a mistake, but I guess a mistake I made in the past—is maybe coming back, you want to get back, and you start to feel good, and then you kind of try to jump back into the game and maybe you're not quite ready yet.
"So I think with this, just wanted to be mindful and make sure that I’m feeling back as close to 100 percent before, you know, we start getting back into, you know, game situations and stuff like that. So it's not something that kind of just prolongs throughout the season."
Matthews greeted the media with a smile, seemingly amused by the public interest in his injury. The notoriously-private star acknowledged the curiosity but appeared unfazed.
"I find it comical, honestly, something you kind of just chuckle over," Matthews smiled. "Because, you know, I understand, like, why. But at the same time, it’s, you know, it is what it is."
Matthews has five goals and six assists in 13 games, far below his usual pace of lighting the lamp. The star led the NHL goals with 69 last season.
