Matthews has been out of the lineup since Nov. 3 with the injury and flew to Germany last week to undergo treatment.
Auston Matthews will miss his ninth-straight game on Wednesday when the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Florida Panthers.
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed that the 27-year-old would not play against Florida, adding that the absence is more about getting the player back up to game speed than anything else.
"No, no, it's not a healing thing. He's feeling good," Toronto's head coach said on Wednesday in Florida. "It's more of a stamina and getting up to speed and making sure he's ready. I don't think you don't want to rush anybody. You want them to feel comfortable and make sure they're ready to go."
Berube added that conversations between him and Toronto's captain have been good.
"He had a real good practice yesterday. But, he's been off a while and getting into a full practice was really important. But I think, both him and I and the organization feel like he needs a little bit more to be ready to go."
Given how Matthews and Berube spoke after his first full practice with the team in weeks on Tuesday, the expectation was that the forward would likely miss Wednesday's game against the Panthers.
"I think the individual skates were much different than a team practice, so this being kind of like the first actual team practice I've skated in, I've felt really good, but I might need maybe one or two to really get my legs and lungs back under me," Matthews said.
Berube directed a similar message after Tuesday's practice.
"Well, the tricky part is practice, right? So, on the first day, you know, like I said, he looked fine and he felt fine," the head coach said. "But, you know, not having a lot of practice time, it's a little concerning."
Matthews was on the ice for Toronto's morning skate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but did not participate in the team's power play work. On Tuesday, he centered the Maple Leafs' second line alongside Pontus Holmberg and William Nylander.
Toronto will have two days between Wednesday's game in Florida and Saturday's matchup against the Lightning. Matthews will likely use those days to ramp up his play even more in preparation for their game against Tampa.
The Maple Leafs captain has been nursing an upper-body injury since Nov. 3. He travelled to Munich, Germany last week and spent five days there receiving treatment from a doctor he's dealt with in the past.
In Matthews' absence, the Maple Leafs have gone 7-1, only losing to the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 12. Even after seeing the team winning, Matthews said that it's been difficult to be out of the lineup.
"I mean, I don't think it's ever easy. But, when we continue to play and bank wins and continue to progress as a team, I think that's a sign of a great team and it definitely gives you a lot of encouragement to see that," said Matthews.
"It sucks watching, obviously, I want to be out there as soon as possible. But to see guys step up and other players step in and make an impact, that's a great sign for us."
Matthews has scored five goals and six assists for 11 points in his first 13 games of the season with the Maple Leafs.