A possible return date for Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been reported
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been dealing with a lingering upper-body injury and it would appear as though he may return to action this week.
Auston Matthews has caused a lot of confusion and frustration amongst Maple Leafs fans this season, however, many remain optimistic that his injury will clear up in time for the postseason.
Auston Matthews close to resuming captain duties with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Fans may actually get a glimpse of the captain much sooner than that.
Matthews was a participant in practice on Monday and while he was only on the ice for about 30 minutes, he was still able to get in some quality reps.
According to reporter David Alter, Matthews looked like he fit in with the team and there was no real semblance of injury or decay.
Consequently, Alter believes that there is a very real possibility we see the captain in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on Thursday night against the New York Islanders.
The Leafs play the Islanders tonight as well, however, Craig Berube has already confirmed that Matthews will not be in action.
Meanwhile, some may argue that January 2nd is too soon for the superstar forward to return.
There have been calls for Matthews to skip the 4 Nations Face-Off while others believe the captain needs to be placed on the bench until the playoffs.
These are both drastic measures, although, given the franchise's desperation for some playoff success, these tactics do make a whole lot of sense.
It has been reported extensively that Matthews just wants to play. That said, athletes don't always know what's good for them, especially when it comes to the risk of injury.
Realistically, the Maple Leafs should only play Matthews if he is 100 percent back to his usual self and not one step before that.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 31 | 156 ANSWERS A possible return date for Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has been reported Do you believe this would be too soon for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews to return? | ||
| YES | 122 | 78.2 % |
| NO | 34 | 21.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
