Leafs captain Auston Matthews played through injury all season, won't need surgery
Auston Matthews will not need offseason surgery to correct an injury that he said impacted him throughout the entire 2024-25 season. He said he believes he will make a full recovery.
That was the main takeaway from the Toronto Maple Leafs captain's end-of-season availability on Tuesday morning, as coach Craig Berube and many members of the team spoke with the media for the final time this season.
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Matthews declined to comment on what the injury was specifically, but called it 'a very tough season' and 'a bit of a rollercoaster unfortunately throughout the whole season, throughout playoffs' as a result of the ailment.
He added that he believes he can recover '100 percent' in time for next season through off-ice treatments and won't require any surgical procedures.
Matthews had only 33 goals and 78 points and missed 15 games due to the injury this year after posting 69 goals and 107 points the season prior. He had three goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games before the Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on Sunday. He also played three games for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February, recording three assists.
'I got injured in training camp,' Matthews explained, later adding that the injury 'impacted a lot of different things' throughout the year.
'Obviously, I wasn't feeling great throughout the first month or so of the season, took some time off, went to Germany (to see doctors), did all these things to try to feel better. Then kind of got to a place where I felt like I could manage it.
'There was obviously some good stretches where I felt good. There were some stretches where I didn't feel very good. Definitely a tough year physically, but with some time off and just going through my own process and treatment and everything I'm really confident I'll be back 100 percent come next season. And there's nothing to worry about.'
Matthews also explained that he didn't want to state the exact nature of the injury because he believed opponents could target that area in the future. 'It's my right to (keep it private), I believe,' he said.
He added that he doesn't believe the pressure of playing in Toronto is a problem, despite that the Leafs failed to advance beyond the second round for the ninth consecutive season since he joined the team as the No. 1 overall pick in 2016.
'I love playing in Toronto and playing for this fan base and this organization,' Matthews said. 'I think that kind of stuff is just kind of outside noise that isn't really focused on or talked about too much in our locker room.'
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