Things have gone from bad to worse for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who recently suffered a crippling blow by losing veteran star captain Auston Matthews to a lower-body injury.
Maple Leafs Forward Auston Matthews Out Short-Term With a Lower-Body Injury
Matthews, who with 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists), is tied with defenseman Morgan Rielly for fourth this season in Leafs scoring, was injured at 8:30 of the second period in a November 11th game at TD Garden, which saw the Bruins go on to defeat Toronto for the second time in less than a week by a 5-3 score. On the controversial play in question, hulking Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov leveled a hit from behind on the unsuspecting Matthews into the boards which resulted in him not returning. Before skating off to the dressing room, Matthews got up after being hit and went after the 6’6 250-pound Bruins defenseman before eventually skating off to the dressing room.
“It was just a normal play, I didn’t really hit him,” Zadorov said. “I’m not even sure which hit he got hurt (on), either when he went after me again, I kind of hit him. Or maybe when I cleared the puck, I hit him with the puck.”
What made the play sting even more for Leafs fans was that no penalty was called on Zadorov. By losing this game, the Leafs extended their losing streak to three games which became four when a couple of days later, on November 13th, the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena dropped a 4-3 OT decision against the Los Angeles Kings.
“I think it is a penalty. personally. But I am not the referee,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said in reference to Matthews. “I don’t like it. I don’t like the hit. He (Matthews) was in a vulnerable position. There is nothing I can do about it.”
Coincidentally enough, the previous Saturday night, November 8th during a 5-3 loss at Scotiabank Arena against Boston, Zadorov was once again public enemy number one among Leafs fans after he laid a massive second period hit on Leafs forward Scott Laughton which knocked him out of the game and onto the injured list.
Following that play, which Berube called a ‘headshot,’ Leafs forward Bobby McMann got involved with Zadorov looking for some payback.
Matthews Named Leafs Captain During the 2024 Off-Season
Upon being drafted by the Leafs first overall in 2016, it was pretty obvious that one day this franchise 6’3″ 215-pound future superstar forward was going to be the team’s captain.
After his eighth season as a Leaf, that historic moment finally came when, on August 14, 2024, Matthews made history by not only becoming the 26th captain in franchise history, but the first who was born in the United States.
This move was in the making for quite some time as the previous captain, forward John Tavares, contacted Matthews about a month before to tell him what was going on.
“I just wanted to let him know what I thought about him and that I thought the time was now for him to take charge and be the captain and be the leader of our club and how ready he was for it,” Tavares said. “He’s got my full support to continue what when I cane here six years ago to do, and wanting to bring the Stanley Cup back here to Toronto and finding a way to do that.”
During that first season as Leafs captain, Matthews battled injuries as he scored 33 goals while producing 78 points and finishing with a respectable plus/minus of +11 in 67 games played.
NHL Department of Player Safety Makes Ruling on Matthews’ Hit
It’s a decision which won’t be popular with Leafs fans, but the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has, after review, ruled that Zadorov’s November 11th second-period hit on Matthews into the boards was legal and that no discipline on the big defenseman was needed.
The Leafs are now missing Matthews, Stolarz, defenseman Chris Tanev and Laughton.
Main Image: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
