Matthews missing from Leafs practice again after sustaining injury
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was absent from the ice on Wednesday following an upper-body injury sustained during Tuesday’s practice.
According to TSN reporter Mark Masters, Matthews missed the morning skate and took a maintenance day.
Meanwhile, fellow forward Calle Jarnkrok also sat out due to a lower-body issue, which had already taken him out of Tuesday’s training session.
Auston Matthews (upper body) and Calle Jarnkrok (lower body) are not taking part in Leafs practice @TSNHockey
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) September 25, 2024
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube commented on the captain’s ailment after Tuesday’s skate, calling it “not serious” and simply an “upper-body thing” via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun.
With Matthews — who logged a career-best 107 points in 2023-24 — and Jarnkrok sidelined, Toronto has reshuffled their training groups.
Max Domi moved to the centre position, joining Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies on a line. Meanwhile, William Nylander stayed at centre with Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson on his wings.
Outline of the Leafs lineup taking shape today:
Knies — *Domi — Marner
McMann — Nylander — Robertson*
Pacioretty — Tavares — Holmberg
Lorentz — Kämpf — ReavesRielly — Tanev
Ekman-Larsson — McCabe
Benoit — Liljegren
Rifai — Timmins*No Auston Matthews or Calle Järnkrok
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) September 25, 2024
The Leafs dropped their first two preseason games against the Ottawa Senators, missing Matthews in Tuesday night’s loss. They’ll look to bounce back when they host the Montreal Canadiens at home on Thursday.
The historic rivalry will reignite once more as the Leafs open their 2024-25 campaign on the road against the Habs on October 9.