Auston Matthews is set to play against the Lightning on Saturday, as he shared with reporters including David Alter from The Hockey News. Toronto needs to shuffle their roster because he’s coming off injured reserve. His absence lasted nine games due to an upper-body injury that was initially thought to be minor but required a trip to a specialist in Germany.
During Matthews’ time away, Toronto managed a strong 7-2-0 record, scoring 26 goals while allowing 18. This was despite injuries affecting key players like Max Domi and Matthew Knies, leaving them short of seven top forwards at one point. With Knies practicing alongside Matthews and William Nylander recently, they might have more players returning soon.
Fans might feel hopeful about the team’s resilience despite all these setbacks. However, their last game ended in a tough 5-1 loss against the Panthers, shrinking their lead in the Atlantic Division to just one point. As some players come back, younger AHL call-ups like Alexander Nylander and Alex Steeves may head back down, along with Nikita Grebenkin and Fraser Minten.
Matthews’ Struggles and Comeback:
Before his injury break, Matthews wasn’t performing at his usual level—scoring only five goals and six assists across 13 games with a low shooting percentage of 8.9%. But fans expect him to bounce back quickly given his history; after all, he’s won the Rocket Richard Trophy three times in four years!
What do you think? Will Matthews return stronger than ever?
