After a photo of Auston Matthews with his longtime sports chiropractor sparked speculation across social media, Dr. Shawn Robek detailed the extensive offseason work on the Leafs captain’s knee recovery and made clear that his lower back was not a concern this summer.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has spent the early portion of his offseason working closely with Arizona-based sports chiropractor and rehabilitation specialist Dr. Shawn Robek, a relationship that has spanned roughly four years and drew significant attention across X this week after Robek posted a photo of the two together on his Instagram account.
The image, accompanied by a caption praising Matthews’ work ethic amid the Scottsdale heat and wishing him well for the 2026-27 season, quickly circulated among Leafs fans and hockey observers. It arrived at a moment when questions about Matthews’ physical readiness remain front and center following a season-ending knee injury.
Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear and quadriceps contusion in his left leg on March 12 against the Anaheim Ducks after a knee-on-knee collision with defenseman Radko Gudas. The hit ended Matthews’ 2025-26 campaign after 60 games and required surgery. Gudas, who was suspended five games for the play, has since moved on; his rights were acquired by the Florida Panthers in late June, and he is back with the club this season.
Robek, founder of Fix Medical Group and a consultant who has worked with athletes across the NHL, NFL, PGA and Olympic levels, sat down for his first Toronto radio interview Thursday on TSN 1050’s First Up with hosts Aaron Korolnek and Mike DiStefano. He provided the clearest public window yet into the work he and a broader team of specialists have been doing with the Leafs captain this summer.
“I met Auston about four years ago and kind of an interesting turn of events. I met Clayton Keller and then as a result of my relationship with Clayton I got to know Auston and Judd, and so it spiraled from there,” Robek said, referring to Matthews’ longtime agent Judd Moldaver. “Just kind of working on a series of nothing huge but biomechanical issues to make sure Auston can perform at his best.”
This offseason’s focus has been more extensive than in previous summers, Robek explained, though he was careful to frame the work as collaborative rather than centered solely on his own specialty. He specializes in low-back and neck issues as a manual therapist. That region, he noted pointedly, has not been the primary concern this year.
“With Auston, low back was not the concern this year. Obviously, we’re taking care of his knee. And so I was part of the team in addressing the soft tissue structures associated with that injury, but also through the rest of the chain,” Robek said. “Because as you know, the knee’s going to get hurt. Other regions of the body are going to take some abuse as well. So it’s my job to clean up those tissues, make sure the joints are moving well, and teach them some intentional corrective exercise so we can make sure the joints are functioning optimally.”
Robek stressed that the recovery process for an athlete of Matthews’ caliber involves far more than isolated treatment of the injured joint. He described a coordinated group of specialists that includes strength and sports-specific coaches, notably Bill Knowles out of Philadelphia, whose expertise lies in applying the precise demand and force needed to rebuild tissue for high-level performance.
“You have various specialists out there that can put the perfect amount of demand and force to the tissues… That would not be my specialty,” Robek said. “When they all come together, that’s when you have a complete product. And in that consideration, you’re talking about a knee, but manual therapists and strength coaches and performance specialists have to look at everything from the big toe all the way up to the neck.”
The goal, in Robek’s view, is not simply to correct injuries after they occur but to keep elite players healthy in the first place. He described his role with high-profile clients as preventative and performance-oriented.
“When I get hired by athletes independently or act as their concierge provider and travel with them, my job isn’t so much injury correction. They’re not hiring me because they’re injured. They’re hiring me to make sure that they stay well,” he said. “My job is to keep them healthy, keep them on the ice, and keep them injury-free.”
Robek has also worked with other NHL stars, including Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. He said receiving those calls elevates the standard expected of him.
“When you get a call and somebody asks you to potentially work with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and be part of their team, you know, it immediately elevates you and says, you know, oh boy, it’s go time. Let’s go to the next level,” he said. “What’s been fantastic is just watching their behaviors, their daily habits, their routines, and seeing what it takes to be elite. There is not one minute that isn’t occupied for correction, wellness, rehabilitation, performance, rest, recovery. It’s all dialed in minute by minute.”
He outlined three pillars he sees among the game’s best: structural performance (his area), internal wellness and functional medicine, and mental performance coaching. Together, those elements separate the elite from everyone else.
For Matthews specifically, Robek described the current process as both more intensive and, in his words, “fun.”
“I think this year has been more extensive but also fun at the same point… because the team around him, a number of specialists that are all on the same page and trying to make sure that Auston gets to 100 percent and can perform at his best,” Robek said. “It’s fun to see Auston come in with energy and a smile and optimism. He’s ready to go, and he’s very energetic, and it’s going to be a fun season to watch.”
Matthews’ recent injury history adds weight to every update. Beyond the knee injury that ended 2025-26, he dealt with a lingering upper-body issue throughout the 2024-25 season that limited his effectiveness and contributed to a drop in production. He finished that year with 33 goals in 67 games after posting a franchise-record 69 goals the season before. In 2021-22, Matthews scored 60 goals and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Those two 60-plus goal campaigns remain the benchmark, and questions persist about whether the 28-year-old can return to that level after consecutive seasons of physical setbacks.
Robek declined to speak for Matthews on how the captain is feeling day to day, saying that assessment belongs to the player himself. What he did offer was a clear picture of the diligence involved and the broader support system surrounding Matthews this summer.
“The level of commitment he puts into taking care of himself in the offseason is remarkable and unique and certainly a one-percenter,” Robek said. “So in working with somebody with that diligence to get better and to perform at his best, it’s a privilege to be on his team.”
As the Leafs prepare for the 2026-27 season, Matthews’ health remains one of the organization’s most important variables. The work with Robek and the larger group of specialists offers the latest public indication that the captain is treating the offseason with the seriousness the situation demands. Whether that process returns him fully to the form that once made him the NHL’s most prolific goal scorer is the central question still waiting for an answer on the ice.
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