The recent season proved challenging for Auston Matthews, marking a disappointing first year as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Matthews participated in 67 games, known to be battling an injury throughout. His offensive output saw a significant dip compared to the previous year`s 69 goals, finishing with 33 goals and 78 points. His performance in the playoffs was also limited, recording only three goals and 11 points across 13 games.
The 27-year-old chose not to detail the exact nature of his physical issue during the season, but he confirmed it was a problem from the outset.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Matthews described the season as “very tough.” He elaborated, “I don’t need to get into specifics, but I got injured in training camp. Obviously, I wasn’t feeling great throughout the first month of the season, took some time off, went to Germany, did all these things to try to feel better. I was in a place where I felt like I could manage it.”
Matthews stated that he would not require surgery this off-season and expressed confidence in being completely healthy for the start of next season.
One noticeable impact of the injury was on Matthews` shooting accuracy, as indicated by his 12.6 shooting percentage. However, the captain suggested the injury`s effects were broader than just his shot.
“I think it impacted a lot of different things, for sure,” he commented.
