Maple Leafs aren’t in any hurry to bring Matthews back to the lineup
It appears that the Leafs are taking a cautious and wise approach to returning Auston Matthews to the lineup.
Leafs coach Mike Babcock, right off the top of his media scrum Monday, announced that Matthews “is not ready to go” for the club’s road game Tuesday in Tampa.
Ditto for Nikita Zaitsev and Leo Komarov; as for goalie Freddie Andersen, Babcock said he doesn’t know if his No. 1 goalie “is ready to go,” but the Leafs did return Garret Sparks to the Marlies, which means Andersen will be backup at the very least for Tuesday’s game.
As for Matthews, the Leafs simply won’t rush him back, given two very tough games — Tuesday in Tampa, and Thursday in Nashville.
Matthews has missed nine games with a shoulder injury, and the team has gone 5-2-2 in his absence, including a current four game winning streak. It may be better to allow the current roster — which has performed admirably without four key players over the past week — to continue its work, rather than bump Matthews back in simply to get him some game time.
Matthews has been skating with the team for almost a week now. But he’s still kept out of most line rushes, and hasn’t been involved in the heavier contact drills.
That’s the smart approach to a separated shoulder which can take up to six weeks to heal properly. Matthews is on the verge of returning in less than a month, and everyone involved — from the coaching and medical staff, to the player — knows that Matthews could use one or two more heavy practices before being fully ready.
In addition, the Leafs, barring any seismic set backs, are a lock to make the playoffs. They have 10 games remaining and are not likely to catch either Boston or Tampa for first place in their division and conference.
And, while it’s the stretch run, with teams and players all gearing up for the playoffs, there’s a certain wisdom in remaining cautious with Matthews. In fact, it’s much smarter to have him practise all this week then drop him into a home game Saturday against Detroit, rather than risk further injury in games against two Stanley Cup favourite clubs in Tampa and Nashville.
“It felt good,” Matthews said of his practice Monday.
“Take more bumps, stick battles, and other stuff. But it feels better.”
Andersen, meanwhile, may be under the same approach as Matthews. While he looked ready to play Monday, there is similarly no rush to have him back in the nets, especially with backup Curtis McElhinney playing extremely the past two games.
“You don’t take it slower or faster than it should be, you just make sure you are the best you can be when you return,” Andersen said.
Zaitsev also indicated that his week long battle with the flu was not something to take lightly. The defenceman lost weight and worked through a hellish week just to get back on skates. “It was the flu. I had (a flu like this) when I was very young. It was craziness,” Zaitsev said.
“I'm getting better every day. I skated for the third time. So it’s pretty good.”