In an interview with The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews revealed that he had been playing through a hand injury this season.
While talking to Siegel, Matthews said, “I think my hand and everything has been feeling a lot better, just stronger.” It was visibly noticeable when watching him play this season.
“It just felt like something was off,” Matthews told Siegel. “I just felt like not completely, like I wasn’t able to do exactly what I wanted to at times.”
It’s unclear when exactly the hand injury first emerged — we know
Matthews had surgery on his
left wrist before last season — or how
long it was bugging him. It’s possible it’s been an on-and-off
sort of thing all year. Matthews missed three weeks with a knee injury
in late January/early February, time off that was presumably
beneficial for the hand injury.
A hand injury would obviously be limiting to arguably the greatest
shooter in the world. It would explain why Matthews has shot the puck
less this season – 12.6 attempts per 60 minutes, down from 13.9 last
year. It would explain why his shooting has been less precise at
times, why he seemed to be missing the net more than usual. It would
explain why his puck handling, an underrated part of his dominance
over the years, just didn’t seem as sharp. It would explain why his
faceoffs and takeaways were down.
Matthews is on pace for 39 goals, a big step down from his 60 a year ago.
www.dailyfaceoff.com
An Auston Matthews hand injury, on top of other bumps and bruises in what's been an injury-plagued year, explains a lot.
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