Leafs star Matthews meeting with special doctor in Germany: report
Auston Matthews is on the other side of the world as he works his way back from injury for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The talented goal-scorer is currently in Munich, Germany, per TSN’s Chris Johnston. He is working with a specific doctor he’s seen before as he continues to work his way to full health.
Auston Matthews is currently in Munich receiving treatment from a doctor he's worked with in the past, and is being accompanied by a team physician. The #leafs say there's no been no setback or change in his status.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 19, 2024
The 27-year-old hasn’t played since November 3. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding his injury, which has been described as “upper-body” and has affected him since the preseason.
Despite the long trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the Leafs continue to say there’s been no setback in Matthews’ recovery, per Johnston.
“It’s a little bit of a holding pattern, but he’s not getting worse, so that’s a good thing. It’s just taking time. He’s doing what he needs to do to get back in the lineup and get healthy, and our team needs to just push on,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube Monday, as per the Toronto Sun‘s Terry Koshan.
A Leafs team doctor accompanied the star forward on the trip and there has been no surgery done or considered, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The team hasn’t missed Matthews too much as they’ve won five of their last six games, including a recent big overtime victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The newly appointed captain played 13 games this year before exiting the lineup, scoring five goals and adding six assists. He enjoyed one of the best goal-scoring campaigns in the modern era last year when he fired home 69 goals in 81 games.
This is the first season of a new massive contract for Matthews and his first as captain. He has one of the highest cap hits in the league at $13.25 million.