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Auston Matthews says his zeal to get back in the Maple Leafs lineup has proven counter-productive in the past.
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So when an upper-body injury began nagging him last month, he decided to go the extra mile – 4,000 in fact – to get it checked out for his peace of mind and the team’s. That led to a hush-hush five-day trip to a specialist in Munich, Germany last week, followed by his first appearance on skates in more than a week prior to Saturday’s practice.
The team captain and defending NHL goal leader spent at least half an hour skating and shooting.
“(The injury) flared up in pre-season, felt better and started getting worse,” Matthews said. “I just felt it was time to take a step back, re-evaluate. It hasn’t necessarily gotten worse, but wasn’t getting better. I wanted to be proactive.”
So he and team medical director, Dr. Noah Forman headed overseas.
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“I wanted to get it taken care of now,” Matthews said. “You can call it a mistake I made in the past; you want to get back, you start to feel good, want to jump back into the games and maybe you’re not quite ready. (This time) I wanted to make sure I was close to 100 per cent before game situations.”
A Leaf spokesman clarified that the doctor in Germany was not unknown to the club, that other Toronto players have used the specialist in the past, though would not provide a name. Mathews did acknowledge the unusual optics of him seeking outside help.
“I’m not sure (the path he took) is so different. In this market, it gets a bit blown out of proportion. But a lot of guys, in the NHL and other leagues, maybe seek second opinions, seek advice, outside of the team. It’s not something that’s super abnormal for athletes to do, take charge of their body.”
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Last week before Vegas visited Toronto, Jack Eichel of the Golden Knights applauded Matthews for going to Germany, after his own high-profile blow-up with the Buffalo Sabres about seeking a disc operation the Sabres weren’t keen on.
“The team were supportive of me seeing someone in Germany I’ve seen before and am very comfortable with, who is very smart and been around a long time,” Matthews said. “I’m feeling a lot better, it’s good to be back and see the guys. That’s always the toughest part about being away and being hurt.”
Now it’s a question of when Matthews next gets into a game. He hasn’t played since Nov. 3 and had not skated in more than a week.
“I’m pretty confident, I want to ramp things up, get on the ice and see how it progresses. From where I was at (a few day ago) up to now, I feel night and day a lot better.”
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“Tomorrow (against Utah) is not realistic, but Wednesday (in Florida) is possible.”
The Leafs have run up a record of 6-1 without Matthews and a win over Utah would push them to 42-20-2 in that situation since 2016.
“Guys are stepping up and we’ve been playing some good teams along the way,” Matthews said of recent results. “That’s the sign of a great team. Against Vegas we had six forwards out, having guys get called up and make an impact.”
William Nylander was one of many Leafs grateful to see Matthews back.
“We’re missing him a lot out there, the leadership he brings and everything he can do on the ice.”
Matthews said returning to the Leafs as soon a possible is the main goal, but full recovery would also allow him to play for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
“That’s still pretty further along in the future,” he said. “When that time comes, that will be the priority.”
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