Toronto Maple Leafs star centre Auston Matthews travelled to Germany to treat a lingering upper-body injury that has forced him to miss the last two weeks of game action.
According to several sources, Matthews went to Munich this week to visit a clinic “he knows and trusts. If space is available, you take it.”
Those same sources stressed not getting fixated on the destination, saying that just because it isn’t local shouldn’t cause panic.
It was also stressed that surgery for Matthews’ undisclosed injury is not being considered and was never part of this process; the European trip was an opportunity to get some “overall body work” done in addition to treating whatever was ailing him; and it shouldn’t be taken as any indictment of the Maple Leafs’ doctors’ care as “players get second opinions all the time.”
In fact, one of Toronto’s team doctors travelled with Matthews.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot of sensitivity around this situation. Like most players, Matthews is extremely private about injury details, and the organization wants to respect his wishes. But it’s one of the NHL’s best players in its brightest market, with fans/media clamouring for more information every day he is absent.
At this point, the Maple Leafs’ position remains as head coach Craig Berube has stated: with a stretch of three games in 13 days, it is better that Matthews rests in the long run.
“I’m not concerned at all,” Berube told reporters on Tuesday. “I got nothing to say about it.”
Matthews will remain sidelined and miss his seventh-straight game on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. He’s also not expected to suit up against the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday.
General Manager Brad Treliving told reporters on Tuesday that Matthews could return when the Maple Leafs travel to Florida to play the Panthers on Nov. 27 or when they’re in Tampa Bay to face off against the Lightning on Nov. 30.
Matthews hasn’t played since Nov. 3 against the Minnesota Wild due to an undisclosed injury.
“It is day-to-day. Sometimes, day-to-day takes a little time,” Treliving said during Tuesday’s media availability.
Toronto is 5-1 without Matthews this season and enters Wednesday on a two-game win streak. Matthews has five goals and 11 points across 13 games, his first year as Maple Leafs’ captain.
