Is the Leafs Medical Department incompetent?

[SprDaVE]

The human body and the medical field isn't black and white for a lot of this stuff. I don't know why this is such a tough concept to understand. Sometimes the human body doesn't react the same from one person to another, and other injuries can prop up. This isn't NHL25 where you know exactly what they have and how much time they need to be on the bench to be fully healed.

Just because your arm chair medical degree with the power of hindsight thinks they should have got it right versus their assessments doesn't mean they are wrong in the moment.

Until the medical staff make decisions outside of their capabilities and go completely against their knowledge or some sort of consensus, then we have nothing to say about how they are doing really.

Also, no matter how much money they make or feeling entitled to know everything about the team, the players are still humans with privacy rights. If they don't want to tell you, that's their right. You have the same rights.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

The Leafs are just having an unlucky year, they've been pretty fortunate the last few seasons and they haven't had major IR stints for the big boys.
The most idiotic thing is how they are cryptic with how they disclose the status of their players. I don't know if they're trying to be clever or they're trying to outsmart the league...pretty clear to me the league knows if you want to stop Auston you give him a two-hander right in the back.

 

[TopCheeseShotta]

...pretty clear to me the league knows if you want to stop Auston you give him a two-hander right in the back.

Worked for Jamie Benn way back, if you recall. And I'm pretty certain that this is when this all started for Auston.

 

[therealkoho]

I know this is discussed a bit in other threads, but it is an honest question that needs to be considered.

As I've mentioned before and many others have, we all realize that the team does not "need" to inform of any injuries to their players. The usual "upper/lower body, day-to-day" is common to many teams.

But while they have a right to disclose only what they want to disclose, the die hard fan base, including ticket buyers, sponsors, and hundreds of interested parties financially responsible for the teams success deserve at least some transparency. This management group is almost mocking in their regular standard responses, it seems more so than other teams. It's almost like their smirking and saying "we know better than anyone, quit asking, we're the best, run along now".

The injury to Matthews is obviously exhibit A. Shrouded in mystery, almost a half season in. Supposedly "started in training camp" or "flared up in training camp". Mysterious trip to Germany that apparently solved nothing, when we are supposed to be world class best of everything filthy rich. Yet their Star player, in fact the center of the entire Hockey program "doesn't know if it will get better I hope so". Really? That's all you guys got? This is mind boggling and staggeringly poor asset management to me. Maybe MGMT HAS actually suggested a surgical plan and Matty said no? Silly speculation on my part with no evidence but it wouldn't be the first time a player and team disagreed, and since nobody has any info they deserve any random speculation.

This is not the only exhibit though. Hakenpaa... signed as injured, rehabbed, joined the team, then suddenly out again for a "minor procedure". Where's the medical team months ago? SMH. Another odd situation. There have been multiple other "day to days" this year that turned into weeks and weeks (McCabe, Knies McMann). And it seems like more injury drama and mystery than most other teams in general. Almost any medical info from this group has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Am I just being cranky about my team? Maybe. I just expect a bit more from the team that is ranked THE most valuable NHL team in the League, and the fan base gets crumbs and excuses over and over.

I think the team at this point have resigned themselves to having signed a "pig in a poke" as they used to say. Players these days always want a second opinion and that is their right to do so. Let's say someone you work with is leaving early because they have a doctor's appointment and you ask what it's about? First off etiquette and public decorum tells us it's not something you should do, and secondly if they want to tell you they can, why is it different for pro athletes'?

Signing Hakenpaa was akin to drawing to an inside straight, if it worked out great if it didn't well thems the breaks!

 

[therealkoho]

Worked for Jamie Benn way back, if you recall. And I'm pretty certain that this is when this all started for Auston.

nah it started in his first season when he was in the crease and a dman bumped him out shoulder to shoulder. After the play he skated to the bench sat down for a few and then went to the room, next thing you know he was gone for a dozen games!

It was something that seemed innocuous when it happened I've seen the very same thing happen in over a 1000 games, maybe the jolt was enough to put a slight tear in some connective tissue in his lower spine or a slight compression in a disk, who knows he could've aggravated it the nest summer off, playing tennis or hell even mooning a security guard.

As someone who has gone through 3 surgeries to try to repair damage to my spine, it is clear to me that once the damage is done it's never going to go away.

 

[TopCheeseShotta]

nah it started in his first season when he was in the crease and a dman bumped him out shoulder to shoulder. After the play he skated to the bench sat down for a few and then went to the room, next thing you know he was gone for a dozen games!

It was something that seemed innocuous when it happened I've seen the very same thing happen in over a 1000 games, maybe the jolt was enough to put a slight tear in some connective tissue in his lower spine or a slight compression in a disk, who knows he could've aggravated it the nest summer off, playing tennis or hell even mooning a security guard.

As someone who has gone through 3 surgeries to try to repair damage to my spine, it is clear to me that once the damage is done it's never going to go away.

Maybe.. but he's been electric since his first season. After that Jamie Benn shot tho, he's not had his same shot or zip consistently. And that lower side (not necessarily back, but hip, sacroilliac area, etc) can be tricky to remedy and directly limit your torque and load up on those old snipes of his.

 

[Maple Leaf]

why would you tell anyone your injury
he injury his back? people will cross check him in the back

 

[HockeyVirus]

People think because they won't tell them things they are hiding their invented scenarios.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

Again, what does it matter? I honestly think people are making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Who cares at the end of the day? it’s not gonna make a single difference in anything lol. It’s not the leafs job to manage your anxiety around the Matthews injury. As harsh as it is to say, they have a reason they are doing things the way they are and it’s probably related to the cap gymnastics they need to do and LTIR stuff.

no one is making this any bigger than it its, the PR team and the organization did this to themselves. If they treated this how any of the other 31 teams would've then we wouldn't be here speculating that he hurt himself in a f***ing summer rec tennis game.

what type of answer even is this...who cares? He's our best player and we haven't seen him play properly this entire season. If timelines made no difference than why do all 31 other teams do it, apart from this mythical franchise that can do no wrong.

as for the cap gynamstics, thats such bs. Either he is healthy or he isn't, if he is put him on the ice, if he isn't LTIR him, but matthews at anything less than 100% is a liability on the ice. They did this with Nylander last year and it caused a huge outrage that people still bring up today.

this way of acting may or may not be beneficial to the team's financial situtation, but then they should have 0 complaints when media and fans ask the player, and management questions about what the hell is going on. Whilst they don't have any obligation to answer, than all of this speculation is completely normal IMO and they have to live with whatever scenarios people create and try to make viral.

I just want our player back, and if not wanna know when he MIGHT be back. Every other team does that, just not this one

 

[keonsbitterness]

Have they found a cancer cure yet? No? Totally incompetent!

 

[GoonieFace]

The medicine for pig/human hybrids is still in its infancy, give it some time.

 

[francis246]

no one is making this any bigger than it its, the PR team and the organization did this to themselves. If they treated this how any of the other 31 teams would've then we wouldn't be here speculating that he hurt himself in a f***ing summer rec tennis game.

what type of answer even is this...who cares? He's our best player and we haven't seen him play properly this entire season. If timelines made no difference than why do all 31 other teams do it, apart from this mythical franchise that can do no wrong.

as for the cap gynamstics, thats such bs. Either he is healthy or he isn't, if he is put him on the ice, if he isn't LTIR him, but matthews at anything less than 100% is a liability on the ice. They did this with Nylander last year and it caused a huge outrage that people still bring up today.

this way of acting may or may not be beneficial to the team's financial situtation, but then they should have 0 complaints when media and fans ask the player, and management questions about what the hell is going on. Whilst they don't have any obligation to answer, than all of this speculation is completely normal IMO and they have to live with whatever scenarios people create and try to make viral.

I just want our player back, and if not wanna know when he MIGHT be back. Every other team does that, just not this one

Every team in the NHL is doing the same thing….

And what I mean by it doesn’t matter is, whether they tell us week by week or 2 months, it’s not going to change anything. Like I said, Matthews being out should not cause you this much distress, even if you are the biggest leaf fan in the world. It’s not going to impact your life in anyway. It’s not that deep.


Edit*

unless it’s season ending or it’s a cartilage, bone ect injury, where there is an established timeline will they come out and say what the injury is. They gave 6 weeks for Stolarz because he had surgery and they have a good timeline/understanding of recovery for that type of injury.

Look at all the leafs injuries this year, primarily concussions or soft tissue injuries. There’s no defined timelines for those types of things. Matthews injury is clearly a soft tissue issue or something they haven’t dealt a lot with. it’s not something where there is a defined time line you can give. Those types of injuries really depend on the person and how much pain they are willing to play through.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

Every team in the NHL is doing the same thing….

And what I mean by it doesn’t matter is, whether they tell us week by week or 2 months, it’s not going to change anything. Like I said, Matthews being out should not cause you this much distress, even if you are the biggest leaf fan in the world. It’s not going to impact your life in anyway. It’s not that deep.


Edit*

unless it’s season ending or it’s a cartilage, bone ect injury, where there is an established timeline will they come out and say what the injury is. They gave 6 weeks for Stolarz because he had surgery and they have a good timeline/understanding of recovery for that type of injury.

Look at all the leafs injuries this year, primarily concussions or soft tissue injuries. There’s no defined timelines for those types of things. Matthews injury is clearly a soft tissue issue or something they haven’t dealt a lot with. it’s not something where there is a defined time line you can give. Those types of injuries really depend on the person and how much pain they are willing to play through.

I didn't see edmonton saying mcdavid is day-to-day and then he misses a month.

I wasn’t coming at this as a super passionate fan, but as someone who values transparency and consistency from the organization. My frustration isn’t about obsessing over Matthews' absence because I’m "the biggest Leafs fan," but because the team’s handling of the situation feels inconsistent and unnecessary compared to how other teams deal with similar issues.
I don’t need to be told how much of a fan I should or shouldn’t be or how I should feel about this situation. Whether Matthews being out "impacts my life" isn’t the point. I’m perfectly capable of separating my personal life from being a Leafs fan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be frustrated by how this is being handled.
It’s not about fandom—it’s about wanting some clarity and consistency from the organization. I care about the team, and Matthews is a critical player. If something feels off about how his injury is being managed or communicated, I’m allowed to feel frustrated about it without having my feelings dismissed as "too deep." You don’t have to be the "biggest Leafs fan in the world" to find value in transparency and fair treatment of fans.

I'll leave this here as this doesn't seem to be going anywhere and we can just disagree on how appropriate this is being handled

 

[AlienWorkShop]

Or he was cross checked because he was in front of the net, which happens all the time. Just unfortunate where it got him. I don’t think it was targeted.

Sure, maybe that cross-check was a coincidence. But now the word is out (which Matthews clearly admitted with some reluctance) and you'd be quite naive to assume players wouldn't target that, particularly for net front cross-checks, which you can easily get away with, and in the playoffs.

I get that some are frustrated with the ambiguity about Matthews' ailment, but it shouldn't be a mystery as to why he'd rather keep it confidential, if he can.

 

[francis246]

I didn't see edmonton saying mcdavid is day-to-day and then he misses a month.

I wasn’t coming at this as a super passionate fan, but as someone who values transparency and consistency from the organization. My frustration isn’t about obsessing over Matthews' absence because I’m "the biggest Leafs fan," but because the team’s handling of the situation feels inconsistent and unnecessary compared to how other teams deal with similar issues.
I don’t need to be told how much of a fan I should or shouldn’t be or how I should feel about this situation. Whether Matthews being out "impacts my life" isn’t the point. I’m perfectly capable of separating my personal life from being a Leafs fan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be frustrated by how this is being handled.
It’s not about fandom—it’s about wanting some clarity and consistency from the organization. I care about the team, and Matthews is a critical player. If something feels off about how his injury is being managed or communicated, I’m allowed to feel frustrated about it without having my feelings dismissed as "too deep." You don’t have to be the "biggest Leafs fan in the world" to find value in transparency and fair treatment of fans.

I'll leave this here as this doesn't seem to be going anywhere and we can just disagree on how appropriate this is being handled

The injury Being poorly communicated (in your eyes) , strategically communicated (in the leafs eyes) doesnt = the injury itself is being mismanaged.

There is zero evidence that suggests they haven’t dealt with the injury the best they possibly can and haven’t given Matthews the best possibly care. They have their reasons for not being transparent. I doubt it’s to piss off the fans. Matthews is their biggest asset, they would not mismanage his treatment. Kinda rediculous to suggest that.

 

[GoonieFace]

Sure, maybe that cross-check was a coincidence. But now the word is out (which Matthews clearly admitted with some reluctance) and you'd be quite naive to assume players wouldn't target that, particularly for net front cross-checks, which you can easily get away with, and in the playoffs.

I get that some are frustrated with the ambiguity about Matthews' ailment, but it shouldn't be a mystery as to why he'd rather keep it confidential, if he can.

No doubt they will be targeting him now that they know what that cross check did. I just don’t think that one was targeted. And it will affect his game as he will be more reluctant.

I don’t mind the ambiguity, all teams do it. It’s just a bad situation

 

[JT AM da real deal]

I know this is discussed a bit in other threads, but it is an honest question that needs to be considered.

As I've mentioned before and many others have, we all realize that the team does not "need" to inform of any injuries to their players. The usual "upper/lower body, day-to-day" is common to many teams.

But while they have a right to disclose only what they want to disclose, the die hard fan base, including ticket buyers, sponsors, and hundreds of interested parties financially responsible for the teams success deserve at least some transparency. This management group is almost mocking in their regular standard responses, it seems more so than other teams. It's almost like their smirking and saying "we know better than anyone, quit asking, we're the best, run along now".

The injury to Matthews is obviously exhibit A. Shrouded in mystery, almost a half season in. Supposedly "started in training camp" or "flared up in training camp". Mysterious trip to Germany that apparently solved nothing, when we are supposed to be world class best of everything filthy rich. Yet their Star player, in fact the center of the entire Hockey program "doesn't know if it will get better I hope so". Really? That's all you guys got? This is mind boggling and staggeringly poor asset management to me. Maybe MGMT HAS actually suggested a surgical plan and Matty said no? Silly speculation on my part with no evidence but it wouldn't be the first time a player and team disagreed, and since nobody has any info they deserve any random speculation.

This is not the only exhibit though. Hakenpaa... signed as injured, rehabbed, joined the team, then suddenly out again for a "minor procedure". Where's the medical team months ago? SMH. Another odd situation. There have been multiple other "day to days" this year that turned into weeks and weeks (McCabe, Knies McMann). And it seems like more injury drama and mystery than most other teams in general. Almost any medical info from this group has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Am I just being cranky about my team? Maybe. I just expect a bit more from the team that is ranked THE most valuable NHL team in the League, and the fan base gets crumbs and excuses over and over.

Matty has had back problems since he has been 14 .. well before Leafs drafted him .. and he has had same issue with us off and on since he arrived here from day 1 .. Hakanpaa has had knee surgery now 3 times in his career .. recently he has his knee drained and some soft tissue removed which is common for anyone who has had ligament damage surgery which often results in inflammation which needs to be drained .. and then after draining it and mri done sometimes there is further cleanup .. for those of us who have gone through it this is highly normal stuff .. nothing any medical team can do with these 2 situations .. bottom line it is a recruiting issue in both cases .. team decided to take both these players who had known problems at time of recruitment

 

[Ianturnedbull]

It's pretty hard to make an evaluation from innuendo, newspaper speculation, fan gossip, and smears from fantasy hockey people.
Do they even call it "The Leafs Medical Department"?

Maybe I'm wrong though.

Can all the HF doctors, nurses, chiropractors, physiotherapists chime in on this topic.

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