It has been a rough stretch of hockey for the Maple Leafs as of late, with Auston Matthews missing the last two games, and the team losing both of those matches.
Yesterday, the Leafs lost 5-2 to the Winnipeg Jets, and they certainly could have used Matthews in the lineup.
One person who agrees with that sentiment is Jeff O'Neill, who stated as much on the TSN broadcast.
In fact, he was very blunt about the Matthews situation, noting that he firmly believes the captain needs to sit out the entirety of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Forcing Matthews to do so would allow him to get healthy in time for the playoffs, which are going to be extra important this season.
The Maple Leafs need to show that they can make a deep playoff run, and they will not be able to do that without their captain.
Overall, the concerns for Matthews are beginning to mount and Leafs Nation just wants him to be healthy.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is a wonderful opportunity, but it does come at a cost and right now, that cost just isn't worth it.
Hopefully, Matthews begins to feel better over these next few days, and all discussions about his injury status become moot.
POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 24 | 234 ANSWERS Former Maple Leafs player slaps Auston Matthews with the harsh truth about his injury Do you believe that Auston Matthews should miss the 4 Nations Face-Off? | ||
YES | 217 | 92.7 % |
NO | 17 | 7.3 % |
List of polls |