Injury Report: Matthews - Update 11/30 -- Off IR and back

[BallardEra]

I wonder if he's dealing with something that might need surgery to properly correct what's ailing him.

Maybe playing through it and dealing with it in other ways hasn't helped.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Matthews ego is a problem. I would sign Tony De Angelo to solve a pp issue as a RD and also Tony would not hesitate to drop the gloves to defend his team-mates but also get in #34 face and ask him why he is not bleeping showing up ? Matthews needs a team-mate to get into his phuckin face and call him out for his lazy i dont give a bleep style of play. If u want it go get it, u want the money for bleep sake. Matthews when he wants can literally dominate whoever he wants, but he isnt a dog, has no dog inside him.

 

[mjd1001]

Give him as much time as needed. I don't care. We need him game 1 all healthy and ready to go on April 20th (or whenever the game 1 of the playoffs is)

I'm with this 100%. If he were to miss half the season, or more, but be fully, 100% without a doubt healthy for the playoffs, no question what you do.

The goal is the Cup. You don't sniff that without Matthews fully healthy and playing better than he ever has in the playoffs.

You are likely going to have to beat Tampa and Florida both in a 7 game series. Your reward? Likely needing to beat Carolina or the Rangers in a 7 game series. Then a 7 game series over the best that comes out of the west.

I know most fans won't like this, but the NBA is getting criticized for 'load management', sometimes star players are just given a day off for no other reason other than resting them? Well, no one really does that in the NHL, maybe that is what the Leafs should be doing in the month leading up to the playoffs. I don't like that idea, I WANT to think my team's players can be more durable and tougher than anyone else, but ANYTHING that will give me an advantage come playoff time I'll take. Matthews being 100% physically and mentally is a must.

 

[thewave]

Getting annoying. Hope he doesnt have to regret taking a 5 year deal.

 

[Stephen]

Give him as much time as needed. I don't care. We need him game 1 all healthy and ready to go on April 20th (or whenever the game 1 of the playoffs is)

This mentality does not seem correct to me.

Auston Matthews has the captaincy and is the highest paid player in the game. On status, salary, expectation, ability, this guy is a Mackinnon, Kucherov, Draisaitl level forward and should be a fixture in the Art Ross race like his peers. He’s set the bar that high for himself, I’m just reminding everyone of it.

The other factor is he’s never really been a big game player, so this kind of bargaining that we can load manage and coddle the hell out him on an unknown injury so he’ll be right for the playoffs. It’s the Kawhi Leonard hypothesis and highly specious at best.

On the short term health front, it is what it is. He needs to get healthy and re-energized but aside from that I don’t think it’s right that we keep scaling back expectations and bargaining when he’ll show up. He needs to be great, step it up and be great in the big games.

 

[Stephen]

I'm with this 100%. If he were to miss half the season, or more, but be fully, 100% without a doubt healthy for the playoffs, no question what you do.

The goal is the Cup. You don't sniff that without Matthews fully healthy and playing better than he ever has in the playoffs.

You are likely going to have to beat Tampa and Florida both in a 7 game series. Your reward? Likely needing to beat Carolina or the Rangers in a 7 game series. Then a 7 game series over the best that comes out of the west.

I know most fans won't like this, but the NBA is getting criticized for 'load management', sometimes star players are just given a day off for no other reason other than resting them? Well, no one really does that in the NHL, maybe that is what the Leafs should be doing in the month leading up to the playoffs. I don't like that idea, I WANT to think my team's players can be more durable and tougher than anyone else, but ANYTHING that will give me an advantage come playoff time I'll take. Matthews being 100% physically and mentally is a must.

No, this ain’t it at all.

If Matthews needs NBA style load management to maybe show up in the playoffs, you don’t build around him.

NBA load management culture worked out really well for the Raptors that one year with Kawhi but it did nothing for the LA Clippers. Joel Embiid missed a ton of games for the 76ers. Doesn’t work for them.

Superstars need to be great, there’s no lowering the bar here.

 

[Suntouchable13]

This mentality does not seem correct to me.

Auston Matthews has the captaincy and is the highest paid player in the game. On status, salary, expectation, ability, this guy is a Mackinnon, Kucherov, Draisaitl level forward and should be a fixture in the Art Ross race like his peers. He’s set the bar that high for himself, I’m just reminding everyone of it.

The other factor is he’s never really been a big game player, so this kind of bargaining that we can load manage and coddle the hell out him on an unknown injury so he’ll be right for the playoffs. It’s the Kawhi Leonard hypothesis and highly specious at best.

On the short term health front, it is what it is. He needs to get healthy and re-energized but aside from that I don’t think it’s right that we keep scaling back expectations and bargaining when he’ll show up. He needs to be great, step it up and be great in the big games.

You make good points. I guess what I meant was there is no need to rush him back till he is ready.

 

[Stephen]

You make good points. I guess what I meant was there is no need to rush him back till he is ready.

That I agree with, no rush there… but for the Leafs to be great he needs to be a warhorse for us and we need more all the time, not save it up for when it matters.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Exact same numbers as JT

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1854977329686065399

 

[SprDaVE]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1854977329686065399

So he's out until Sunday minimum. IR is 7 days.

 

[Fogelhund]

He’s been placed on IR.

 

[wingman75]

Probably still in line to return Tuesday vs Ottawa.

 

[NVious]

Sometimes I wish he'd take his 50 goals elsewhere to an appreciative fan base.

Toronto whiny ass fans deserve being in the doldrums every season.

If they don't want the fans to whine, they should show up in the playoffs or not try and take every last dollar so we can sign the help they apparently need in the playoffs.

Matthews is fortunate Marner is small, arrogant, a winger and has no years left on his contract because he has been as bad as him in the playoffs.

It's about winning at the end of the day or at least making runs. Toronto appreciated the f*** out of Mats because he was a warrior who showed up in the playoffs, he and Matthews both didn't/haven't won anything though, but the public perception is different because one guy actually showed up in the playoffs and the other guy not really.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Him being on IR is a positive.

Allows him to heal up most important of course, allows Leafs to save on the Cap and allows the team to rely on a tighter defensive game which has always been their default approach to the game over last few years whenever Matthews have been out a few games.

 

[Craig Button]

This mentality does not seem correct to me.

Auston Matthews has the captaincy and is the highest paid player in the game. On status, salary, expectation, ability, this guy is a Mackinnon, Kucherov, Draisaitl level forward and should be a fixture in the Art Ross race like his peers. He’s set the bar that high for himself, I’m just reminding everyone of it.

The other factor is he’s never really been a big game player, so this kind of bargaining that we can load manage and coddle the hell out him on an unknown injury so he’ll be right for the playoffs. It’s the Kawhi Leonard hypothesis and highly specious at best.

On the short term health front, it is what it is. He needs to get healthy and re-energized but aside from that I don’t think it’s right that we keep scaling back expectations and bargaining when he’ll show up. He needs to be great, step it up and be great in the big games.

Well if we put him on LTIR For the season and if EDM still isn’t in the playoff hunt close to the TD. We can trade for McDavid.
Then when playoffs start we can have Matthews back.

 

[Evilhomer]

I feel like this is more about roster management (i.e., the ability to bring up Dewar) than anything else.

 

[Menzinger]

I feel like this is more about roster management (i.e., the ability to bring up Dewar) than anything else.

It certainly will allow them to punt the trade decision of some other players a bit longer. If Matthews is likely going to need some extended time, might as well take advantage of it

 

[Arthur Morgan]

Sometimes I wish he'd take his 50 goals elsewhere to an appreciative fan base.

Toronto whiny ass fans deserve being in the doldrums every season.

when your part of a team with so many passionate fans and take pretty much every dollar you possibly can and then continuously fade away come playoff time what do you expect? this isn't a small sample size type of thing this has been going on for damn near a decade now.

also dont forget Matthews barely gets it from fans, got Marner there for that

 

[BraveCanadian]

Sometimes I wish he'd take his 50 goals elsewhere to an appreciative fan base.

Toronto whiny ass fans deserve being in the doldrums every season.

If you play like you care in Toronto you are appreciated forever.

Grinders who give their all are remembered for decades let alone stars.

 

[Stephen]

If they don't want the fans to whine, they should show up in the playoffs or not try and take every last dollar so we can sign the help they apparently need in the playoffs.

Matthews is fortunate Marner is small, arrogant, a winger and has no years left on his contract because he has been as bad as him in the playoffs.

It's about winning at the end of the day or at least making runs. Toronto appreciated the f*** out of Mats because he was a warrior who showed up in the playoffs, he and Matthews both didn't/haven't won anything though, but the public perception is different because one guy actually showed up in the playoffs and the other guy not really.

For me, it's simple. Auston Matthews has been fantastic his whole career in Toronto up to this point, walked into contract negotiations, dictated a bespoke length that suits his own ambitions, MLSE gave him the highest AAV in the league and everyone walked away happy with those arrangements.

Now go deliver: be up in the Art Ross race and Rocket race. Be in contention for those individual awards, which fuels team success, and go dominate playoffs like your peer group and get after a championship as captain and standard bearer. Why are we whispering load management and bargaining away regular seasons for a playoff run? The AAV doesn't come down, why should expectations?

 

[Arthur Morgan]

If you play like you care in Toronto you are appreciated forever.

Grinders who give their all are remembered for decades let alone stars.

I will forever love Darcy Tucker. even more so than Domi. that guy was everything I loved about hockey. for a season or 2 he was a threat as a goalscorer too but holy he was such a fun player to watch.

 

[Stephen]

It certainly will allow them to punt the trade decision of some other players a bit longer. If Matthews is likely going to need some extended time, might as well take advantage of it

Can't see that "advantage" going on for more than a couple of games, since you'd rather have Matthews playing when ready than fret over keeping or losing a Dewar level player.

But with the way Matthews was playing I did think they might give him a couple of weeks off as load management. Slow rolling the mystery injury for a week, then slow rolling the recovery over the next few games, back by next weekend kind of thing.

 

[Menzinger]

Can't see that "advantage" going on for more than a couple of games, since you'd rather have Matthews playing when ready than fret over keeping or losing a Dewar level player.

But with the way Matthews was playing I did think they might give him a couple of weeks off as load management. Slow rolling the mystery injury for a week, then slow rolling the recovery over the next few games, back by next weekend kind of thing.

I don't think they'd do this for load management in the way the NBA and NFL approach it. He's injured and needs time, not rest for the sake of rest.

Formally using IR gives the team more options to play around with on the roster

 

[Stephen]

I don't think they'd do this for load management in the way the NBA and NFL approach it. He's injured and needs time, not rest for the sake of rest.

Formally using IR gives the team more options to play around with on the roster

I really don't like the way the Leafs handle Matthews injuries like state secrets, the lack of specificity and transparency makes it hard to weigh whatever he's dealing with and missed time, dip in quality of play, etc. versus when Marner is just out with a high ankle sprain or whatever.