The Toronto Maple Leafs were primed to make some sort of moves as a couple of players are ready to come off long-term injured reserve. The details surrounding Auston Matthews' latest injury remain limited, but speculation is growing that the Toronto Maple Leafs' star forward might miss more than just one game due to an upper-body issue. During Tuesday's segment of TSN's Insider Trading before the Maple Leafs were set to host the Boston Bruins, Chris Johnston reported that Matthews' absence could extend through the weekend [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/insider-trading-matthews-absence-could-continue-into-weekend%7e3024455]. "Yeah, I think certainly with the Leafs having back-to-backs Friday, Saturday, that in addition to missing Tuesday's game against Boston, wouldn't be surprising to see Auston Matthews miss a little bit more time," Johnston said. Johnston highlighted that Matthews missed part of the preseason with an upper-body injury, and both he and the Leafs have been carefully managing it. Matthews' slower start this season, by his usual high standards, may be partially due to this lingering issue. To date, Matthews has registered five goals and six assists in 13 games—below his typical offensive production. "(He) hasn't been 100 percent. Obviously wanted to get off to a good start during the year. He's been pushing through it," Johnston noted. "But after a busy week last week, three games and four days over the weekend, the decision was made to just shut him down, give his body a little bit of time to rest here. And I think we'll see him sooner than later, but probably will miss more than the one game." Earlier in the day, Leafs head coach Craig Berube dismissed any speculation that Matthews’ current issue is connected to the wrist injuries that plagued him during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, emphasizing that the upper-body injury is unrelated. In response to Matthews' absence, the Leafs have elevated Max Domi to take on the top-line center role, stepping in to fill the critical position in Matthews’ place. Fans are hopeful Matthews will return soon but recognize the importance of allowing him the necessary recovery time.
