Matthews eyes return to Leafs’ lineup on Saturday
Says he had “normal concussion symptoms”
Auston Matthews could present the Maple Leafs with an early Christmas gift on Saturday night in Manhattan.
The Leafs’ best player, however, first had a little lump of coal to drop into the stockings of many in the club’s rabid fan base.
Matthews on Friday participated in a full practice for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 9 in Pittsburgh and looked fine doing so, skating on a line with Zach Hyman and William Nylander.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock never has said Matthews suffered a concussion when Toronto’s No. 1 centre collided with teammate Morgan Rielly against the Penguins; instead, media and fans only have suspected that might have been Matthews’ injury.
What was Matthews feeling as he missed six games, eventually skating on his own before hitting the ice at the MasterCard Centre on Friday?
“Just normal concussion symptoms, I guess, so I don’t need to go any farther than that,” Matthews said.
In the few minutes that passed after Matthews’ scrum and before that of Babcock, the coach apparently got the message through the team’s media relations staff that Matthews used the dreaded ‘C’ word.
“You guys already talked to Auston,” a perturbed Babcock said before a question could be asked. “We’re done with that. What else?”
While there might be concern going forward that Matthews could have concussion trouble at some point later in his career, the 20-year-old came as close as possible to declaring he will be in the lineup when the Leafs visit the New York Rangers, their final game before a three-day Christmas break.
“No decision is going to be made until (Saturday) but I am definitely feeling a lot better, feeling good out there on the ice, just trying to get my legs back,” Matthews said. “Nice to get back out there with the whole team and get skating again. (It was) a high pace of practice, it’s fun being out there with more people than just myself.”
Matthews did not initially go through concussion protocol that night in Pittsburgh and played against the Penguins after he and Rielly hit each other. Matthews said he did not feel great that night and into the next day.
In the days that followed, Babcock wouldn’t confirm a concussion, at one point last week saying in Philadelphia to reporters that he “didn’t know (Matthews) had a concussion.”
It’s a sensitive issue, yes, but that doesn’t excuse the Leafs’ reluctance to be more up front about it. Certainly, it should not come to the point where the player is the one confirming, more or less, what most figured was his injury.
At any rate, Matthews — who has maintained his lead in the Leafs’ team scoring with 26 points in 26 games despite missing a total of 10 games (including four in November with what was suspected to be a back injury) — will give the Rangers a large wrinkle in game preparation if he is deemed good to go.
“A player of that calibre changes the entire outlook of the game, the entire structure of what the opponent does because of the impact he has on a game,” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “To get him back, we are very happy he is feeling better and he is (seemingly) ready to go.
“He’s a huge part of this team and one of the best players in the league. When you lose a guy like that who can score the way he does, it makes a big impact.”
Matthews, as you can imagine, has had enough of being a spectator. The Leafs are 6-4-0 with him out this season, but were 2-4-0 in this most recent span he was watching, losing all four on the road.
“It’s very frustrating,” Matthews said. “You never like missing games and two back-to-back injuries like that when you miss time (in a relatively short period), it sucks.
“The main thing is to be healthy and that’s my main concern and the training staff and everybody else’s. It feels good to get back on the ice.”