Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has hinted that Auston Matthews may be behind schedule in his recovery. The superstar forward previously suffered a lower-body injury during a matchup with the Boston Bruins on November 11.
Following the game, Berube claimed that Matthews would miss around a week. As a result, the Leafs then placed the star on injured reserve. The move means that Matthews would not be eligible to return to action until November 18 against the St. Louis Blues. This, however, may not now happen.
TSN’s Mark Masters is reporting that Berube informed media members on November 17 that Matthews has not even touched the ice since departing the Bruins game. While it remains possible that the star could still face the Blues, the coach’s comments regarding Matthews are certainly concerning.
Matthews missed significant time due to a separate upper-body concern during the 2024-25 season. Although he remains a top player in the league, injuries have been an issue for the forward. In fact, Matthews has managed to play at least 75 regular-season games just once since his rookie year in 2016-17.
Auston Matthews is one of Several Injured Players for the Toronto Maple Leafs
GettyAuston Matthews joins several other Toronto Maple Leafs players on the injured list.
It is safe to say that Leafs fans have not received the report by Masters very well. Several Toronto supporters responded to the reporter’s tweet by hoping their team throws in the towel on the season. This comes after the Leafs had the ninth-best Stanley Cup odds ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Hopes may have been high to start the season, but Toronto is now near the bottom of the Atlantic Division after 19 games.
The news regarding Matthews comes as several other key players are also dealing with injuries. Chris Tanev (upper-body), Brandon Carlo (lower-body), Anthony Stolarz (upper-body, and Scott Laughton (upper-body) all join the superstar on injured reserve. Nicolas Roy is set to miss the matchup against the Blues on November 18 as well.
Due to the lengthy injury list, Toronto’s depth at center at the moment is now John Tavares, Max Domi, Jacob Quillan, and Steven Lorentz. Quillan has one NHL appearance under his belt, while Lorentz recorded just 19 points in 80 regular-season games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Toronto Execs Open to Making Trades in Coming Months
The Maple Leafs, however, cannot blame all of their woes on injuries. Toronto’s roster, even when fully fit, lacks true depth. Because of this, the team has been linked with making a trade or two ahead of the deadline. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman touched on this topic on his November 17 podcast.
The expert claims that the Leafs want to avoid trading away prospects and instead make “roster-for-roster” moves. This essentially means that Toronto prefers to complete a swap deal involving NHL veterans. Friedman even suggests that team officials are willing to field offers for everyone on the team except William Nylander, Matthew Knies, Matthews, and Tavares.
While the Leafs are open to making moves, it remains to be seen how much value they have on the roster besides these core four players. The team’s future could go in different directions depending on how the remainder of the 2025-26 season pans out.
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