Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left practice with an apparent injury on September 24.
Matthews was skating on the ice, and not even 30 minutes into the practice, he left which caused some fans to be worried. Yet, after practice, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said the injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
“Just an upper-body thing. It’s not serious. He should be fine,” Berube said.
Berube wouldn’t go into full detail on what the injury is, but luckily it appears Matthews will be fine. Matthews wasn’t set to be in the lineup for the Maple Leafs preseason road game against the Ottawa Senators on September 24.
Matthews was named captain of the Maple Leafs this offseason. The forward is entering the first year of his four-year $53 million deal.
Last season, Matthews skated in 81 games recording 69 goals and 38 assists for 107 points.
Matthews Named Captain of Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs named Matthews the 26th captain in franchise history on August 14.
John Tavares relinquished his captaincy so Matthews could take over the role. During the press conference to make the announcement, Matthews said it’s an honor to be the captain of the Maple Leafs.
“I got chills, honestly. I’m so honored and humbled since being drafted here eight years ago. You realize how special it is to play for the city of Toronto, to wear the Maple Leaf on your chest every single night. It just means the world to do that,” Matthews said.
“To have the support from Johnny, my teammates, our staff, ownership, my family, it just means the world to me. I look forward to continuing our journey to obviously get to the top of the mountain and win the Stanley Cup and bring it back to Toronto,” Matthews added.
Matthews has been the face of the franchise for the Maple Leafs since he was selected first overall in the 2016 NHL draft.
Along with being named captain, Matthews says the goal for him is to be a Maple Leaf for life and bring the Stanley Cup back to Toronto.
“That’s the goal, is to be a Leaf for life, to win here with my teammates, for the city, those are always things you keep in the back of your mind, but they are also things that are in the future as well,” Matthews said. “I’ve loved every minute of being a Toronto Maple Leaf like I’ve said, it’s such a tremendous honor. You kind of take it one day at a time, but I hope that’s the case.”
Berube Calls Out Maple Leafs After First Preseason Game
Berube coached his first game for the Maple Leafs on September 22 in a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators at home.
However, the Maple Leafs lost 6-5 in overtime and Berube wasn’t thrilled with his team’s effort.
“We come out just slow, just didn’t move the puck quick enough. That’s why we ended up with two shots in the first period. We didn’t want to shoot, got too cute at times. It got better, but, overall there are things we’ve got to clean up our directness,” Berube said after the game on September 22.
The Leafs open its 2024-25 NHL season on October 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.
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